


We Found Love

by just_peachy



Series: Romcom AU! [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cheesy, Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, Luna is too good for this, M/M, Minor Angst, Noctis is a nervous wreck, Prompto is also an idiot, RomCom AU, Slow Burn, all the parents are ridiculous, because this movie was on and i am being encouraged to write this, but it'll be ridic, cor is ridiculous, every romcom trope u can think of is here, i am going to improve upon the wedding planner, i blame cable, i cannot wait to write it out, tropes galore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-11-16 04:44:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 64,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11246574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_peachy/pseuds/just_peachy
Summary: Prompto is a successful thirty year old Wedding Planner and the best one in the city of Insomnia. The only problem is that he does want to get married but he hasn't been on a date in 3 years. That changes when one day, he meets a new prospective client, Lunafreya Nox Flueret. Because of how famous this client is, Prompto is ecstatic and hopes that this will help him buy his own home.That is until he is saved by a very handsome man on the street...





	1. Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time...

To say that Prompto Argentum was good at his job was an understatement. He was absolutely amazing at his job. 

He knew way too much about weddings and about the difference between A-Line and heart shaped gowns. There was also a huge difference between tulle and lace (he would always try and suggest lace to confused brides). Cindy, who was his assistant, and his best friend at this point of his life, had a betting pool at work. He would always win because he _knew_ which couples would get divorced and who would call off their weddings before the wedding. He had a sixth sense about it and that unfortunately made him a cynic. 

When Prompto was still young and fresh to the world of wedding planning, he went on plenty of dates. Prompto believed in love. He was even briefly engaged at one point but, that did not work out at all. After that there were other dates but Prompto knew. He always knew there would never be a second date. The man that Prompto thought he was going to marry had no prospects and yelled at him so that he was glad that relationship ended. So Prompto took a backseat in his own personal life and had a ball making other countless brides and grooms happy. Cindy had been bugging him for weeks to go on a date. “I know a guy or a girl… take your pick stud!” She would say, and Prompto would immediately refuse. He was fine being alone. 

“Those who can’t wed, plan.” That was Prompto’s motto. 

Prompto Argentum, was going to turn thirty years old later in the year and while he was fine with being alone, he also wasn’t. The only thing that kept him happy was his job. It gave him such great satisfaction to see the brides and grooms that did last beyond the annulment period. It made him so happy on the rare occasion that he did lose money in the betting pools. Prompto just told himself that he would wait and he kept waiting.

It was great to have Cindy and Aranea in his ear telling him what a wonderful catch he would be. He was the best and brought in so much revenue to Aranea’s company. His work was already featured in many bridal magazines and the internet blogs were abuzz with his stunning eye for detail. Prompto would scout out spots and bring his camera with him everywhere. Even for the weddings that were not extravagant, he would make them the best for his clients. It was a special day and these people were paying him to do his best work. Aranea Highwind hired him at twenty-four and it was the best thing that ever happened to Prompto. The chaos of the wedding and the meticulous details made everything better. Cindy came along and they were all great friends at the office. 

Now though, Prompto was in full work mode. The client was a lovely couple from Accordo. They came to Insomnia _just_ to have Prompto as their planner. So Prompto made it great. The couple spared no expense for flowers which was Prompto’s favorite thing to arrange and photograph for clients. He had the presentation ready with arrangements and themes. So they went with a good option, in Prompto’s opinion. Prompto checked every last detail of the church. It was crunch time. His mic was in place over his ear as he heard the orchestra begin to play some lovely beethoven symphony the groom had suggested. 

“Heya sweetie,” Cindy drawled. There was some panic in her voice. “I can’t find the F-O-B.”

The father of the bride. “Ugh,” Prompto spoke into his mic and made eye contact with Cindy who was in front of the church by the groom. Prompto quickly looked around and hoped to find the man but he was also happy with what he saw. It was exactly to the bride’s specifications. Each bench was adorned with at least 50 white orchids and that was just the benches. On the ceiling, Prompto managed to get a contracting company to have vines adorned with the same orchids as they cascaded from the ceiling. The bride wanted a “tropical-ish but traditional” themed wedding. So Prompto hoped that he delivered that. 

But first, he needed to find the F-O-B. So Prompto patted down his suit and tried to walk quickly towards the back of the church. When he checked one of the changing rooms, all of the groomsmen were taking shots. 

“Guys,” Prompto’s tone was dangerously low. “I know…” A few of the men groaned while another one took a shot with the best man. “But wrap it up, it’s showtime in 5 minutes.”

One of the groomsmen saluted Prompto as he took his shot but all of the men quickly began putting on their blazers. They had to move quickly because Prompto needed this wedding to start in four minutes and thirty seconds. And there was _stil_ l no F-O-B.

Finally, when Prompto rounded a corner where he could see the priest, the last piece of the wedding puzzle was there. The F-O-B...

There was a list and Prompto always made sure to have everything ready before every wedding. He consoled the bride earlier because she thought she should have picked tulle instead of lace. Prompto made sure to tell her that lace looked better for her body shape and was elegant and timeless. The bride took a deep breath and said that she was ready. The second thing to check off were the bridal parties: the bridesmaids and the groomsmen had to be on their best behavior. Prompto always checked if anyone needed a different bra, if there were stains to be removed or deodorant. It was better to be safe than sorry.

With the groom, Prompto always hated dealing with them. He was no stranger to catching clients on social media with unflattering or downright disgusting pictures of the grooms with strippers or making an ass of themselves days before a wedding. So he always had to fix that. It was annoying and it was another reason Prompto tried harder to date women. Dudes were just…

Dudes were not good. At least if Prompto got married to a woman, he would save his best work for her. But with a slight grumble, Prompto saw that the groom was fantastic in his tuxedo and desperately wanted to ask the bride later on if he had a brother. The man looked _good_.

“Excuse me sir,” Prompto noticed that the F-O-B was in tears. He was mumbling about his daughter getting married and something about how he couldn’t believe this. The priest shrugged and looked on in panic. Prompto pointed to the priest to head towards the front of the church. Ever the professional, Prompto could handle this. He handed the F-O-B two advils and a bottle of water that he carried in his trusty fanny pack. “Pull it together. All you have to do is walk. Your daughter needs you.”

The man looked at Prompto and nodded slowly. As he stood up, Prompto fixed the cufflinks on the F-O-B and did one last check. Unfortunately, Prompto had no time to tweeze the man’s eyebrows but they only had two more minutes. Oh well... 

As Prompto began to lead the way when he waved to a woman that he had been dying to meet. She was going to be his next client if everything went well. Prompto could not believe it. She was even more stunning than the society pages led Prompto to believe. Her blonde hair was in a tight bun but she had a wonderful fringe that brought out her wonderful blue eyes. She was wearing a business suit and her manicured nails were holding a notepad. 

“Go up the ceiling stairs,” Prompto mouthed to her. Cindy already waved at the woman as well as both women introduced themselves to each other. “We’ll talk later.”

The bride was ready and the F-O-B finally managed to pull it together. He was no longer crying when he looked at his daughter with a look of utter pride and joy on his face. Prompto pointed towards the now tipy groomsmen to find their partners while the bridesmaids shifted in their heels nervously. Although Prompto was not a fan of pastel pink, he thought that it was just “fine” on the wedding party. Luckily, as the orchestra began to play the processional music, everyone seemed to remember what they were supposed to do. The Groom was already on the steps with the priest and the bridal partners waited 5 seconds in between before walking down the aisle. When the father of the bride and the bride began to walk down the aisle, Prompto finally felt himself start to relax. The ceremonies were great because they were a break. The tension went away completely when Prompto heard the familiar notes of “Here comes the bride.”

Prompto quickly ran up the stairs and made sure to walk a little bit straighter. He almost tripped but he managed not to, thank the gods. Finally, he approached the client. She was going to be the one to put his name on the map. If he was able to secure this account, all the money that Prompto had saved up could finally be used to buy a house and a caretaker for his father. It was going to be great. He took a deep breath and tried to hold his nerve.

“Good afternoon,” Prompto said softly. He shook her hand and she had the widest smile on her face. “I’m Prompto. I hope you enjoy what you see today. If you have any questions just let me know.”

“Thank you,” the woman grinned. Her eyes looked around the church and she looked in awe at the sight before her. The flowers that were in the church as well as the lights and the placement of the wedding party were all things that she looked at intently. 

“I’m sorry,” Cindy said suddenly. “I’ll be going to the reception hall. Good luck Stud.” Cindy turned to the woman and shook her hand. “It was nice meetin’ ya Miss Luna.” 

“Thank you,” Luna said to Cindy. “It was nice to meet you.” Cindy repeated back the same sentiment and went down the stairs to leave.

“Do you like it?” Prompto asked. He bounced on his heels and stopped because his brand new leather shoes squeaked oddly on the wooden floor. Prompto was _so_ nervous.

“I think this is exquisite,” Luna said. She looked down at the full church aisles and smiled. “I’m sorry my fiancé couldn’t be here. He is very busy with work. But as I understand it, you have another wedding later this week correct?”

“Yes,” Prompto said quickly. “That one is all outdoors, so if you are thinking about that, I would definitely go with your fiancé .”

“Excellent,” Luna grinned. “My Mom and my fiance’s father will be in town. So at least they can see it too. I was thinking an outdoor wedding would be great. My fiancé is disinterested but he enjoys camping on occasion so I thought it would be good.”

Prompto mentally rolled his eyes but this was typical. “Oh so he is N-I-D,” Prompto teased.

“Hmm?” Luna blinked back in confusion.

“Not into details,” Prompto smiled. Luna laughed and quieted down right away. She peeked down at the church aisles to see if anyone heard her and thankfully no one turned around to look at them.

“That sounds like him,” Luna grinned. “Well I have to go because I need to host a charity event later. But please understand that this wedding has no budget. So if you see anything that might catch your eye and you think _might_ be too extravagant… it isn’t. _At all_.”

“Got it!” Prompto giggled lightly. This was turning out better than expected. He was not surprised. The famous wealthy socialite marrying into a family of another famous wealthy businessman’s son. Of course there was no budget. 

Both of them watched the wedding ceremony and Prompto managed to keep his inner squealing to a minimum. Aranea was going to be so pleased with him. 

***

“Hey Dad,” Prompto arranged his scrabble board and began to go for the kill. He had his tiles ready and his father was frowning intensely. “Boombox… you are not gonna come back from this one.”

The wedding was successful and Prompto went to go see his father at the retirement home the next morning. It was a nice one but Prompto wanted to have his Dad with him. Although his father was a great war hero, Prompto just felt better to have his father in his home. He already had a realtor look up potential homes. Then Prompto could hire a caretaker for his dad. It was a good plan. 

“Jeez kid,” his father looked at the board and frowned. Currently, his father was living on his own but he frequented the community center often. Prompto loved coming here with his Dad, especially after his wife had passed away earlier when Prompto was 21. It was a tough time but Prompto thought his father had found his niché being among other people at the community center. At the moment however, his father looked at Prompto with a wide grin. “That was brutal.”

“I know,” Prompto giggled. It was starting to get late and Prompto wanted to go home but he didn’t. It was just going to be another lunch alone with some salad and netflix. Maybe he would try and vacuum? “That was fun dad.”

“So I have some good news,” his father grinned. “Do you remember a little boy named Nyx?”

“Umm,” Prompto racked his brain and tried to think of who that was. He was drawing a blank and shook his head.

“He and I go to the same gym in the morning. Funny story.” His father had an odd look that Prompto did not like. 

“And,” Prompto now crossed his arms and began to frown. 

“It turns out,” his father began. “He told me that he had trouble finding some nice young men to date in this city.”

No.

“And he kept going on about it,” Cor waved his hand and his enthusiasm was growing. “‘Mr. Leonis, I can’t find anyone to date.’ So I said. Hey remember my adoptive son Prompto?”

No.

“Dad no,” Prompto whined. Now he remembered the guy. “He called me a fatty and tried to beat me up that summer by the beach. Him? Seriously?”

“Well,” his father grinned. “He has a good job. He works at a bank. I think you two should go out.”

“Well,” Prompto uncrossed his arms. He could play along too. “Wow a man just for me.” He clapped his hands and tried to be overly enthusiastic about it too. “Dad… I must see him at once.”

“Oh he’s here,” Cor pointed towards the back of the room. There was Nyx, Prompto remembered him and he groaned as Nyx waved at both of them. “Just go out with him Prompto. He wants to go out with you which is a good thing right?”

“I can’t believe this,” Prompto felt like running away but that was rude. It wasn’t like Nyx was ugly either but he was _so_ embarrassed. There were other retired old ladies now looking at their table curiously.

“Hey Nyx,” his father pointed at Prompto who was trying to hide his face with the scrabble board. The pieces began to scatter the floor and Prompto did not care. This was so fucking embarrassing. “You remember Prompto right. Prompto, be polite and say hi.”

Prompto took a deep breath and patted his head down. He put on the best smile on his face and looked right at Nyx. The scrabble board could not hide his face anymore. “Hello.”

“Hello,” Nyx smiled. “Sorry for this being so random but it was just a huge coincidence.”

“Right,” Prompto’s smile began to waiver. “ _Right._ ”

“Anyways,” Nyx put a hand through his hair and looked right at Prompto. “I see you started to work out. You look great now.”

Prompto’s grin began to falter even more as his grin was becoming even wider. “Yes…” Prompto coughed and looked at his father and hoped the look was enough to communicate “Forget the house, you are on your own.”

“I was actually thinking of maybe doing something low key,” Nyx said in a drawl. “Maybe a nice bar or you could cook. Mr. Leonis said you are a good cook.”

Prompto put the scrabble board down roughly on the table. He grabbed his coat and walked with a quick stride towards his Dad. He placed a kiss on his father’s forehead and began to walk away. Well, walk quickly away. Prompto had never felt so embarrassed in his life and he wanted to run away so fast. He almost tripped over a chair but he kept walking off. Even though he heard his Dad and Nyx call out to him.

Prompto thought that had to be the most embarrassing moment of his life. His own father was playing matchmaker. For him.

Ugh.

***

“Hey Aranea,” Prompto was now on the phone and heading towards the office. He completed his morning run and was running a bit late. “I was going to take pictures of a potential site for the Fleuret-Caelum clients.”

“So you booked them?” Aranea asked. She sounded like she hadn’t had her first cup of coffee.

“No,” Prompto began. “But I think I might be able to book it if I do an outdoor site. I was thinking the park near the outskirts of the city… you know? The one by the hospital.”

“Excellent,” Aranea laughed. “Take your time, but be here at 10 because we still have to do the Manchester booking later at 10:30.”

“Thanks,” Prompto grinned. He had his camera out and began to take pictures. This park might be perfect. It was this wonderful and had enough room to hold at least 500 guests. Prompto knew this would be a huge wedding. So 500-700 guests sounded reasonable for him and it was good enough for the site. 

There was just one problem: The fountain where the couple could get married at was closed and Prompto could not get a good shot of it. He had to find a way to get there before the client came in later to the office. After walking around, Prompto finally found a good place to take the picture. It was right in front of this hospital but it was on a busy main road. There was no sidewalk but there was a small sliver of concrete that Prompto could take the picture on. 

Prompto was an idiot, but he tried wait for traffic to die down a bit. When it did, he finally ran across the road. One car honked at him but he didn’t care. He quickly took a few pictures of the fountain and looked at his handiwork. There were at least three photos he could use. Prompto took one more when he stuck his camera in between the fenced bars. For a second, Prompto finally thought that he went too far. His butt was sticking out and he could hear heavy traffic pass by. This was stupid, he thought. So he finally put his camera back towards his side and tried to find a way to get out of the road. 

Only problem was that now there was no break of traffic. He tried to find an opening, but there wasn’t anything. He just waited. And waited. He did not want to get hit by a stupid car.

Then finally, he saw a break and started to jog across the street. Except something absolutely terrible happened. 

Prompto dropped his camera. A car had scared him and he thought he was going to fall. And right when Prompto noticed the camera was gone, he was already out of the road. With his hands in his hair, Prompto yelped and tried to find some way to get the camera back. The cars were going too fast and thankfully, Prompto thought he could at least get the SD card it back with jogging quickly. The camera was on the white lines so it had not been ran over. Yet. So he took a chance and ran again to get the camera. There were no cars coming from what Prompto could see. Quickly, Prompto grabbed the camera and tried to get back to the sidewalk. 

Prompto was going to make it. He could taste the sidewalk.

Except this time, he did fall. And he fell hard onto the pavement. The camera bounced away as he heard it crack against the concrete. He could heard a screech of tires and he finally looked up. 

There was a car that was going way too fast. 

There was no way Prompto could get away in time. 

He was such a stupid fucking idiot. Death by car for trying to get a picture. Prompto screamed and tried to duck away except something else happened. 

“HEY!”

Prompto felt his body get pushed away. He heard other people screaming on the sidewalk next to the hospital. He felt someone or something on top of him but the back of his head was hurting. 

“Hey,” the voice asked. “Are you okay?”

Prompto kept his eyes closed and felt the body shift a bit up against his own. He heard another car honk but Prompto did not want to open his eyes.

“Where’s,” Prompto said in a daze. “... my camera?”

“Oh,” the voice said. “Well… it is on the sidewalk?”

“Oh,” Prompto finally opened his eyes and felt like even more of an idiot. The man in front of him had his hair grown out slightly. He had the five o’clock shadow going on even though it was still early in the morning. His eyes were bright blue and Prompto felt himself blushing even though his head was killing him. “You saved me?”

“Well,” the man said. “At least you are talking. Can you stand?”

“I would,” Prompto said. “But you are laying on top of me.”

The man looked down and then cupped Prompto’s face. He brushed a few of Prompto’s bangs away.. Wait... was this man holding Prompto’s face the entire time?”

“ _Oh_ ,” the man said stupidly. “Sorry.”

Prompto looked at the man again and was in total disbelief. And he _still_ would not get off of him.

“I’ll get off sorry,” the man said finally. He grinned and croached down. Prompto saw his camera on the sidewalk and it looked bad. He’d have to buy a new one but at least it was okay. The man tried to help Prompto up but his eyes started to feel heavy. Prompto could feel him taking ahold of his hands. 

“You saved,” Prompto mumbled. His head fell and he could feel that same man hugging him and Prompto felt so stupid. All of this for a camera and he was going to miss his appointment. 

“Hey hey,” the man said. “You’re okay.”

“Thanks,” Prompto mumbled before finally fainting. 

Soon, Prompto would find out that it would get _so_ much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the wedding planner was on cable and I casually mention it to @moonside and she is a HORRIBLE enabler. So here is the promptis romcom no one asked for. I don't know how serious or light it will get. So just roll with it y'all. Also, shout out to 2001 era JLo.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. What's My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a non-date!

“He needs to shave that goatee off.”

“I cannot say that I disagree with you there Gladio.”

Prompto tried to blink but his head was throbbing. Instead he tried to move the rest of his body but that seemed to do more harm than good. 

“What an idiot, all of this for a stupid camera, huh Iggy?”

“Well it was a good thing Noctis was there when he was.”

Prompto finally opened his eyes and there were two men there that he had never seen before. The one on his right looked like a bodybuilder. Prompto thought that his biceps were just as big as his own head. As for the one on the left, he had glasses on and looked at Prompto with mild amusement. 

“Good afternoon,” the man with glasses said. “I am Doctor Scientia. That man over there is Doctor Amicitia. Our friend rescued you. He had to run the insurance that was in your wallet.”

What?

“Huh?” Prompto asked. He tried to feel his head but then when he tried to move his neck he felt a brace. No. “What the hell?!”

“Relax blondie,” Dr. Amicitia said slowly. “We only did that as a precaution. After you knocked out we took a CAT scan. It’s just a precaution.”

“No,” Prompto began to get up but Dr. Scientia put a firm hand on his shoulder to stop. “I have to get to work.”

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Dr. Scientia spoke in a calm voice. “We already informed your co-workers. Besides it is almost two in the afternoon. Some woman named Cindy I believe was calling for you. We picked up and told her you were here. I hope that was okay?”

Prompto fell back on the bed and felt awful. Not only had he missed the appointment but his camera was broken, he probably scared his coworkers half to death and he made a fool out of himself. 

“Knock knock.”

Prompto peered over towards the doorway and the man that saved him was there. After getting a better look at the man now, Prompto realized something very important. Not only was the man that saved him a doctor, he was also the most handsome man Prompto had ever seen in his life. 

“I’ll take it from here,” the man said softly. Prompto also noticed that the man’s hand was injured. This made Prompto feel even more guilty for his stupid mistake.

“Sure thing,” Dr. Amicitia nodded. He walked off and gave a slight nod to Prompto. Dr. Scienitia did the same thing as they both walked away from the room. 

“So,” the handsome man said. Prompto gulped and looked at him as he took a seat next to Prompto’s bed. “I ran a bunch of tests and your CAT scan came back. You are perfectly healthy. But I don’t know why you were out running on the road. If you want, I can call downstairs in the psychiatry wing if you need to talk to someone like that.”

Prompto now felt 100% awake and without any pain. “Excuse me but… no. _I_ was taking a picture of that nice fountain across the street.”

The Doctor nodded and then squinted a bit at Prompto.

“I’m being serious,” Prompto said in a huff. “I am a wedding planner, okay. So I wanted to look see if that park can be a venue.”

The doctor smiled widely and looked like he wanted to laugh but he didn’t. “Okay so I’ll put that on your chart. You really scared me. I was coming back from my break and you were there just running across the street.”

“Yeah,” Prompto frowned. “Sorry about that. But thank you for saving me Doctor…”

Prompto waved his hand and realized what he was doing and stopped.

“Just call me Noctis,” the doctor smiled and Prompto felt absolutely ridiculous staring at him. “It’s nice to meet you.” He outstretched his hand and Prompto took it and shook it. Prompto tried not to let it linger for too long but it felt like an oddly long handshake. 

“Do you think you are okay to leave?” Noctis asked. “You should take tomorrow off, if at all possible.”

Prompto groaned and rolled his eyes. “I have this important client and I have a wedding I need to show off to her this weekend. It’ll make or break my career.” 

Noctis nodded but then crossed his arms. “I am going to give you a doctor’s note anyways. But you can ignore it. Think of it as a just in case.”

Prompto thought it was useless to pout but he did so anyways. Noctis took a few more notes down on the chart and moved up closer. He took out his stethoscope and took began to do a final check up on Prompto. It was difficult for Prompto to steady his breathing but this doctor was very attractive and super close to his face. All Prompto could think about was how to ask him out on a date, without it being too obvious that it was a date. Very subtly, Prompto checked on Noctis’ left hand and there was no ring there. Check. There was also no funny smell coming from the doctor. The last date that Prompto ever went on was three years ago. That man smelled like a wet dog and Prompto faked a stomach ache to get out of it.This doctor did _not_ smell and Prompto mentally fistbumped when he noticed a rainbow sticker on the back of Noctis’ clipboard. It could have meant nothing but Prompto wanted it to mean that Noctis was secretly on team awesome. Sometimes known as the winning team. Also known as the gay team. 

So Prompto went for it as best as he could.

“What do you do for fun?” Prompto grinned widely. He stopped immediately when he saw the look on Noctis’ face. The doctor pulled back the stethoscope and roped it over the back of his neck. Noctis reached down his white coat and pulled out a thermometer.

“Open wide,” Noctis shook his head and Prompto thought he failed at that bit of flirting. 

Noctis inserted a thermometer into Prompto’s mouth and gave him an odd look. To Prompto’s credit, it looked like Noctis was actually thinking about it. Until the beep of the thermometer sounded, Noctis kept looking up at the ceiling. Maybe he was legitimately thinking about it.

“Well,” Noctis frowned. “I usually just get home and sleep. I work weird hours.” There was a pause. “But I do like playing video games and watching movies. Nothing too out there, you know? I don’t really do a lot of umm… you know stuff. Sometimes I camp with those doctors you saw...”

Prompto was mentally screaming, he liked those things too. “Uh huh...” Prompto immediately stopped talking as his stomach made the most obnoxious noise. As if this day could not get any worse, he remembered that he only had a protein shake and some oatmeal for breakfast hours ago. He hadn’t even had coffee yet. He was starving!

Noctis did not laugh but gave Prompto a disapproving look.

“You know,” Noctis said while putting a blood pressure cuff on Prompto’s wrist. “If I am right about this, your BP will be kind of low. But it makes sense. You need to eat.”

Prompto smiled weakly and sighed. This was so embarrassing. “I guess so.”

“Tell you what,” Noctis began. “I get off of my shift in hmm…” Noctis had one of those obnoxiously huge designer watches. It looked more expensive than Prompto’s trusty fitbit. “I get off in 20 minutes. Let’s go get something to eat yeah?”

Prompto’s eyes shot open. “Really?”

“Sure,” Noctis continued. “Ignis and Gladio…” Noctis stopped and corrected himself. “Those other doctors, they took a later shift than me. So they won’t be done until tonight.”

“Seriously?” Prompto could not believe his luck.

“Yeah,” Noctis continued to jot down more numbers based on Prompto’s blood pressure results. 

“Look I’ll pay for it too!” Prompto grinned. “You did save my life and I was being a dumbass.”

Noctis laughed. “It’s okay. Besides I have been really craving some barbeque and a new place just opened down the block. Unless umm...” 

Noctis scratched the side of his head and shrugged. Prompto swallowed but his stomach answered for him. He could feel his cheeks blushing as he covered his face. “Sure, sounds good.”

“Good,” Noctis grinned slightly. At least Prompto saw that through his own fingers. “I have to get that neck brace off of you first so hang on.”

It was then that Prompto made a note of the ace bandage on Noctis’ hand. Now he _really_ had to pay the bill for this late lunch.

“Did I do that?” Prompto asked stupidly. 

“Yeah,” Noctis reached around the back of the neck brace and gently pulled it off of Prompto’s neck. “Actually, I think it was your camera. It fell on my hand weirdly when I caught you.”

“Sorry,” Prompto looked away and hoped his blushing went away but he highly doubted it. Not only was Noctis a doctor, but he was handsome, smelled nice and at least looked normal on paper. They were going to go out on a date too! Or maybe this was just a friendly lunch date? Or, it was a nice non-date that had the potential to be a legitimate date? Prompto’s mind raced when he realized maybe Noctis invited other patients to dinner as a way to pick people up. But that didn’t make any sense because he just looked awkward as he shuffled around Prompto’s bed and the cabinets trying to put all the supplies back. Prompto probably thought he should be more suspicious but he wasn’t.

“A moment Noct,” the doctor with the glasses came back. “Can we switch shifts for Sunday? I know I said I’d cover for Saturday.”

“No problem Specs,” Noctis nodded.

“Prompto right?” Ignis asked. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah,” Prompto grinned. He quickly pointed to himself and to Noctis. “We are going to get barbecue for lunch!”

Ignis looked at Noctis who looked wide eyed and shocked. Noctis looked at Prompto and even though Prompto had _just_ met this doctor, he was… blushing? No, that couldn’t be right.

“Really?” Ignis said in a dumbfounded tone. “You and him?”

“I just offered,” Noctis said in a small voice. “He hasn’t eaten and neither have I. So I just figured...”

Ignis eyed both of them suspiciously. Then, he very carefully walked out of the door but he still had his eye on them. At that moment, Prompto thought that this was not the type of thing this Doctor did at all. Maybe Prompto was the first person that Noctis ever asked out in this way. The doctor that just left and Noctis _seemed_ familiar with each other at least.

“Let’s just,” Noctis scratched the side of his head. “Umm… let’s go then right?”

Prompto nodded and hoped that this would be the turnaround this day needed. 

***

After a quick call to Cindy and Aranea, Prompto assured them that he was okay and he would stop by the office after lunch. They agreed to wait and were so happy that Prompto was fine but he was also so happy to be having lunch with such a handsome doctor.

“So how do you know those guys? Ignis and Gladio?” Prompto asked. They were at an all you can eat place. Which Prompto was not sure about but he made sure to balance everything off with a salad. Noctis eyed him and the salad with trepidation but that only lasted a moment. The rest of the time, Prompto just asked the standard questions. Where are you from (“Here”)? Where did you grow up (“Here”)? Why did you become a doctor (“Umm… I wanted to help people?”) Noctis did not elaborate too much, so Prompto did most of the talking. In fact, Prompto thought Noctis was kind of awkward in an endearing way. Noctis must have thought the same thing about Prompto because, of course, Prompto had tripped while they were on their way to get seated. Prompto shook it off and Noctis only laughed a little bit.

“Well,” Noctis was still chewing on a piece of brisket. “We met in college. All nerdy pre-med majors. And then we just stuck it out and this year is my second year of actually being a doctor doctor. I just finished being an intern.”

“Oh cool,” Prompto replied. “So did you all graduate together?”

“No,” Noctis shook his head and finally swallowed his food. “Ignis, the guy with the glasses, he is two years older than me. He also didn’t take three years off to go backpacking through Tenebrae.” Noctis pointed to himself and continued. “Gladio, the big tall guy, he is three years older than me. We really lucked out getting placed in Insomnia and at the same hospital though. They are my best friends. So it’s nice that we can work together.”

“Cool cool,” Prompto did not want to press too hard so he kept eating some of his steak and tried to keep cool. “Cool…”

“So a wedding planner?” Noctis smiled. “So what do you do exactly?”

“Everything,” Prompto said triumphantly. “The flowers, the venue, the toasts at the ceremony, dealing with the bridal parties, the parents, the caterers…” Noctis’ eyes began to glaze over and Prompto started to laugh. “It’s chaotic but I enjoy it. That’s why I like being boring at home. I play scrabble with my Dad. He’s disabled so it doesn’t give us lots of options for going out. But I like playing board games with him. And lots of netflix and video games… _yeah_...”

“That’s nice,” Noctis coughed. Prompto thought about that potential can of worms based on Noctis’ sudden discomfort about “Dad” talk and Prompto quickly changed the subject.

“Hey,” Prompto said suddenly. “How about we go watch a movie?”

“Right now?” Noctis asked. “ _Right now_ … right now?”

“No!” Prompto grinned. “Later tonight. I don’t know when you get off of work. But today is Wednesday and they always show movies in Liberty Park! I heard that they are showing some Kung Fu Hustle. And some 50s black and white movie… but _Kung Fu Hustle_ dude.”

Noctis, who was eating another piece of brisket suddenly stopped eating and had a light twinkle in his eyes. “I _fucking_ love that movie.”

Prompto did a fist bump in the air and waved for the nearest waitress to bring them the check. He paid of course, but that was after a nearly five minute argument about it. What gave Prompto the upper hand was Noctis checking his phone and frowning. Prompto immediately got the check and put his ATM card down and practically shoved it to the waitress. Noctis’ frown deepened further and Prompto laughed and laughed as the exited the restaurant.

“Be there at seven,” Prompto took out his phone and opened up the phone app. “What’s your number?”

Noctis stuttered for a second but got out his phone and told Prompto his number. “Sure, I guess I’ll see you later then?”

“Awesome!” Prompto grinned. “I’ll see you later!”

Noctis waved awkwardly and headed back in the direction of the hospital. Prompto matched the wave and wanted to break out into dance while he walked back to the office. He almost tripped while he crossed a street but he didn’t care. He got a number which was more action than he had gotten in three years. Prompto had a date!

Well... maybe it wasn’t a date, but it was something!

***

After sorting out all the work Prompto had fallen behind on, he agreed to grab Cindy any wine that she wanted after the wedding over the weekend. She gave him a hug and thought it was a great idea. Aranea yelled at him for a bit about liability, “Don’t do any stupid bullshit like that again!” and Prompto nodded vigorously. He was being an idiot and he apologized but he also said that he got a number.

Both Aranea and Cindy looked at him in disbelief. Prompto couldn’t believe it either.

“Seriously Stud?” 

“Are they… ugly?”

“No,” Prompto waved his hands and looked at another file he had on his desk. “... Wait… she is coming in now?!”

“Yeah!” Cindy nearly yelled. “I just got the call before ya came in!”

“Who is coming in?” Aranea asked with a panic.

“Lunafreya,” Cindy groaned. “The big client!”

Prompto freaked out slightly because his desk was a mess, the most important client of his career was coming in ten minutes and he had a non-date that night. So all three of them quickly cleaned up the office and made it look as pristine as possible. 

Finally, when Luna walked in, Prompto took a deep breath and hoped that he did not look awful. Today was already hectic enough. So he had to make sure that this client stayed with the company.

“Hello,” Luna smiled and had a massive notebook with her. “I brought some things I scrapbooked for wedding ideas and colors and things I might like.”

“Oh,” Prompto grabbed the book and began to look through it. Luna did have a great eye and he did see some dresses from designers that he liked. Although he was personally not a fan of teal, he would try and make it work as a potential bridal party outfit. “This is nice. I like that you are prepared. Some brides aren’t sure what they want and it makes things harder…”

“Did something happen?” Luna scooted up closer towards Prompto’s desk and grinned. She placed her elbow on the desk and looked at him kindly. “You have been grinning since I got in here.”

“Am I?” Prompto said in disbelief. He _was_ smiling. “Ummm.... well I guess I am?”

“Who is it?” Luna asked. She now had both elbows on his desk and she placed her chin on top of her hands. “No one smiles like that unless they met someone cute.”

Well, Prompto thought that Luna was, ultimately, going to offer Prompto the job. They were probably going to be working with each other for the next year or five months, give or take. He had gotten close to clients before. Sometimes it was strictly a work relationship where Prompto forgot about them the next day. Sometimes he got to know many of his clients very well. They would send Christmas cards and pictures of the children. Prompto had a feeling Luna, despite the amount of money she and her family were worth, seemed like nice people. She was trying to get to know him and Prompto allowed himself to, at the very least, tell her something personal. 

“Umm,” Prompto stammered. “I had an accident today. Nothing bad!” Prompto raised his hand as Luna placed one hand over her mouth.

“Are you alright?” Luna asked.

“Yeah,” Prompto scratched the back of his head and grinned. “Well, you see I met a guy.”

“ _Oh!_ ,” Luna’s smile then turned into a wide grin as well. “That sounds amazing!”

“Yeah we are going out for movies later,” Prompto nodded. “He actually saved me. I don’t know if he’s gay or bisexual or whatever… but I got his number!”

“Good for you!” Luna laughed. “I bet the wedding you are going to have is going to be amazing.”

“We’ll see,” Prompto giggled. “I don’t know. We’ll see about that, it’s a bit too soon to get _that_ ahead.”

“Hey,” Luna waved her hands. “It’s something though!”

“I know!” Prompto smiled and now he felt like his jaw was hurting him. He could not remember being this much of a spaz before.

“Let me know how it goes,” Luna said dreamily. “Oh but…” Luna seemed to remember why she was there and pointed at the book. “I don’t know what the wedding will have on Saturday, but just see if there is anything like what I have here. It always looks different in person. I really liked these table centerpieces I saw.” Luna pointed at the page Prompto had stopped at. “But it might look too gaudy in person.”

Prompto studied the scrapbook a bit more. He remembered some similar flower arrangements and tablecloths would be used on Saturday looked similar to the one Luna had on the page.

“I’ll try and take some notes and point it out to you once I get a free moment.” Prompto put some post-its on certain pages as he continued to look through it. “Does this mean…”

Luna nodded but shrugged slightly. “I told my Mom about you and she googled. She is _very_ impressed.”

“Aw shucks,” Prompto smiled. He continued to look through the book and place more sticky notes as he went through it.

“I am on board,” Luna stated plainly. “But my Mom just needs the sales pitch. Same with the future father in law. My fiancé well…”

Prompto, who had been planning weddings for years, got his first hint that something might be amiss. But he did not reply back at all and waited for Luna to finish.

“He is very into his work,” Luna said finally. “He is… what did you say the term was?”

“Not into details,” Prompto stated. “It’s fine. I’ll do my best on Saturday to sell it to your Mom. Once Moms are on board, usually things can get started ASAP.”

“Excellent,” Luna smiled. “Well let me leave. I have to go back to work but let me know how things go. If you have any questions, just call me.”

“No problem,” Prompto gave a thumbs up and watched Luna leave. He was so happy and not the least bit worried. He just needed to nail the account on Saturday, start looking for amazing looking bridal party dresses and to book bridal gown boutiques. 

Prompto only hoped the day would get better.

***

It was a perfect night at the park. It was only a bit cloudy and Prompto brought a blanket and some water. Noctis showed up in a perfectly casual outfit. Prompto, very casually, mentioned that he had plans to his father. He received a text back that simply stated “You finally got a date?” 

Prompto groaned but hey it was a date. Or something like that. 

They had watched the entirety of Kung Fu Hustle, which was a blast. Noctis managed to buy them tons of candy from a nearby vending machine as they watched that movie. With the next movie, it was called Two Tickets to Broadway. It was a very old and very black and white movie. Prompto was going to mention that they could leave and do something else but conversation never came up. They just stayed and watched the movie in relative silence. On occasion, Prompto would catch Noctis looking at him and vice versa. 

“Dude this movie is boring,” Noctis said finally as he yawned. He stretched his arms and for a second Prompto thought Noctis was going to pull the “arm going on the back cliché” but he didn’t. 

“Well leave if it’s so boring,” Prompto snapped back. “I mean, it could be better. I do like the dancing.”

“Those four girls getting tricked by that guy though,” Noctis said softly. “I don’t know. It doesn’t sound realistic.”

“Well girls are smarter though,” Prompto smiled. “This was also made 60 years ago so it is outdated.” 

“I guess you’re right,” Noctis replied. He yawned again and Prompto thought it was so adorable so he looked away immediately. Prompto had never been to one of these movie events before but there was a rather romantic scene at the end of the movie. The main heroine was dancing with the main male lead (who Prompto thought was an asshole), but the sappy music was playing and it was _kind of_ romantic. Very slowly, a few of the couples that were sitting around the park were starting to dance. It was super cute and Prompto had an idea but Noctis seemed too awkward to take him up on it.

“You know,” Prompto said slowly. “We could… you know…” Prompto waved his hand at the rest of the attendees all the while eying Noctis.

“No,” Noctis said in a huff. “I _don’t_ dance.”

“What do you mean?” Prompto gasped. “It’ll be fun!”

“I’m not gonna dance,” Noctis almost laughed in disbelief. “I already told you!”

“We are the only ones here not dancing,” Prompto stated as he pointed to the rest of the audience. Everyone was dancing. Even the old couples that had probably been married for fifty years or more were dancing. Prompto stood up and extended his arm down to Noctis who had the biggest pout along with an ever glowing blush on his face. “Let’s dance doctor! It’ll be fun!”

Noctis looked at Prompto. Then he looked at everyone else dancing. He huffed and crossed his arms but finally he took Prompto’s hand and allowed himself to get pulled up. Prompto giggled but went into his best ballroom stance and Noctis just bowed his head shamefully.

“You are the worst,” Prompto laughed. He took Noctis’ hand and placed the other near his upper waist.

“I have been told that more than once,” Noctis grumbled. He tried to figure out where to put his hands but Prompto fixed Noctis’ stance. They were both blushing but it was okay.

They danced and more than once Noctis stepped onto Prompto’s foot but he apologized immediately. Prompto did not care because this was going better than he ever dreamed. He was dancing in the park with the most gorgeous doctor in the city. That doctor was indulging this ridiculous non-date but hell, it was probably a date now.

“See,” Prompto gripped Noctis’ waist a little bit tighter. “You just need to practice.”

“Oh please,” Noctis rolled his eyes but he kept dancing. Even when he continued to stumble on Prompto’s feet. “I already told you I don’t dance.”

“I think you are doing a great job,” Prompto teased. “Especially since you are _very_ much still dancing.”

Noctis' scowl was the only response but Prompto continued to laugh. 

“Hey,” Prompto decided to change his tone. “Thanks for saving me earlier. And not thinking I am a crazy person.”

Noctis finally looked up at him and smiled a bit. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes!” Prompto frowned. “I _think_!”

The both laughed and then they heard applause coming from the rest of the audience. The movie was over and a few of the couples still continued to dance even through the closing credits. Prompto looked over at Noctis who was now looking very closely at him. They were so close that Prompto could practically count the eyelashes on Noctis’ face if he wanted to. He didn’t want to do that at the moment. He just wanted Noctis to kiss him. Noctis tightened his grip on Prompto’s hand and moved forward a bit. Prompto closed his eyes and waited for it while he felt Noctis’ breathing get closer.

And Prompto waited for it but nothing happened.

Instead, he heard the loud sound of thunder. Prompto’s eyes shot open right away and Noctis looked up at the sky. His face was still painfully close to Prompto. Noctis’ grip on Prompto’s hand got tighter. The sky opened up and it began to pour hard. The rain that was not on the forecast, was suddenly upon them. A few of the old couples screamed and tried to search for a place where they wouldn’t get wet. Prompto let go of Noctis’ hands and ran over to get the blanket he had meticulously set earlier. It was wet but at least this would work as a hood until he could call an uber or a lyft to take him home. There was no way he was going to take the subway in the rain 

“Hey come here,” Prompto urged Noctis to share the blanket as they ran towards an awning with a bit of cover from the rain. 

“This sucks!” Prompto said when they finally had a moment to catch their breaths. “I’m sorry about that.”

“No it’s fine,” Noctis huffed. “I should get back anyways. I have a early morning shift tomorrow. The absolute worst shift.”

“Oh,” Prompto grinned. “Well I had fun.”

“Yeah,” Noctis smiled back. “Me too.”

“Hey,” Prompto had an idea. “They have this board gaming night at the community center on Friday, I think. If you want to go?”

Noctis tilted his head and thought about it. “I don’t know. I have to check my schedule.”

“Oh,” Prompto frowned.

“But I think I should be free,” Noctis said quickly. “But I’ll get back to you.”

“Sounds good,” Prompto fiddled with his phone and opened the uber app. “Do you want to share a ride back?” 

“No it’s okay,” Noctis shook his head. “My place isn’t too far from here. I can walk. It’s maybe two blocks away?”

Prompto’s eyes began to widen. The downtown-metro district had the best condominiums, apartments and the most expensive ones in the city of Insomnia. “You mean… you can afford to live here?”

“Well yeah,” Noctis shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

Prompto thought that it made sense. Noctis was a doctor after all, he could probably afford the monthly rent. 

“Well,” Prompto said. “Just text me then.” Prompto got a ping and saw a black hatchback with the “U” sticker in the front. “I’ll see ya.”

Noctis opened the car door for Prompto as he got in and did a small wave. Even though the day began terribly, Prompto thought that the way it ended was a complete 180. Not only was it _almost_ certain that he would book the Flueret-Caelum account, he had gone on a date and _almost_ kissed a doctor.

Prompto could not wait for what happened next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everyone knows, this is a romantic comedy and it will get silly. If you have seen movies such as the When Harry Met Sally, any Julia Roberts movie in the 90s, any Meg Ryan movie, or something like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this will have the same ridiculous tone as those movies. If that's not what you want, that's totally fine! 
> 
> Also just so you know, the next chapter will be a clusterfuck so be prepared for that. Comments and Kudos are everything to me so please let me know what you think!


	3. Take a Bow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the truth is revealed!

Prompto and Noctis had been texting avidly for two days. It was mostly small talk and Noctis replying to Prompto at 3 and 4 in the morning because of his weird shifts at the hospital. But it was fun. Prompto learned more about Noctis’ friends Ignis and Gladio. Gladio was an orthopedic surgeon and Ignis was a cardiac one. Noctis was a neurologist. After a quick google search that Prompto did on his phone, he discovered that neurology was the study of the brain and thought that it was a weird choice of specialty. But Prompto thought it also made sense because Noctis had terrible bedside manner. 

Slowly, Prompto also told Noctis a little bit about himself. He casually mentioned that he was adopted by his father Cor, and that his father and him were very close. Prompto also mentioned that his father had lost one of his legs in the war. Noctis gave him some more information on some of the latest research in replacement limbs, which Prompto had discussed a bit with his father. Noctis was nice, Prompto thought. 

They were going to have a nice date doing some board games that night and maybe Prompto could mention something about cooking for him the next time he had a free day. Prompto did not want to jump ahead of himself, so instead, he focused on Luna’s wedding. He was doing a good job of trying to secure the flowers that she had wanted for the wedding. It was going to be the most expensive floral arrangement that Prompto had ever ordered for a bride but there was no money limit. So Prompto managed to secure an excellent vendor for that. 

It figured however, that something would happen after work: his father.

Prompto’s wonderful father said that he wanted to go to dinner beforehand so Prompto agreed only if it was before seven. That way, he would still have time to make it to the community center. 

“So son,” his father mentioned casually. They were having some sandwiches from one of Prompto’s favorite shops. “I wanted to go to the knitting class. You know the one right?”

Prompto stopped eating and eyed his father curiously. “Why?”

“Because,” his father said thoughtfully. “Apparently that is where most of the people are that I can go on dates with.”

Prompto groaned and did not provide an answer. He heard his father chuckling and Prompto ignored him and continued to eat. 

“So,” Cor began. “Have you talked to Nyx?”

“I lost his number,” Prompto said quickly. “Which was odd. Because you wrote it down ten times for me on ten different post-its in my apartment.”

His father began to laugh and laugh and Prompto just tried to eat. It would be fine if Prompto could actually introduce Noctis, a doctor (a very handsome doctor) to his father instead of Nyx… who worked at a bank but was just… _not_ a handsome doctor. At least then, his father would approve.

“So what are you doing after dinner?” His father asked. “Nyx is very nice and was asking about you when I went to the gym this morning.”

“I am going to the community center with a friend,” Prompto said vaguely.

“What kind of friend?”

“A _friend_.”

Prompto kept chewing on his food and he tried to stare down his father which never worked. 

“Well,” his father crossed his arms and looked at him. “I know _you_. And _you_ don’t put on makeup for _just_ friends.”

“Well,” Prompto began thoughtfully. “ _Maybe_ it is one of those friends that I am trying to impress with my makeup skills.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yup.”

Prompto was still a good son. So he was going to walk his dad to the knitting class before making his way to the board game night at the main auditorium. That did not stop his father from asking fifty questions in regards to his makeup and his availability for the week so that Nyx could take him out on a date. Prompto, while annoyed, appreciated his father for at least trying to keep his best interests in mind. His father knew just how much he had wanted to settle down. But Prompto knew guys like Nyx were just, not his type. Plus, Prompto did not look back on that childhood summer fondly at all. He just got adopted by his father and his mom (Monica, who died a few years ago) and they thought it would be good to go on vacation. Prompto was in middle school which is, statistically speaking, the _worst_ time to exist as a human being. He was fat, he was starting to see acne everywhere and he was not used to actually being wanted. Right as he got used to the idea of having parents and being loved by them, they went on vacation. Nyx was there and was absolutely brutal to him. Prompto, after about two days of teasing, would wake up early in the morning and go off to a secluded part of the beach and take pictures all day. Or at least until his father yelled at him to come back to the beach house. 

Thankfully, Nyx and his family were only there for a week and Prompto got to enjoy the rest of the two weeks there in summertime bliss. 

When his father finally waved him off (“Your old man may be old, but I still got it.”), Prompto began to walk down to the main auditorium. That was until he noticed the dancing class was still going on. They were playing classical music and it sounded lovely as it echoed in the hallway. He also noticed someone with very blonde hair and a immaculately hemmed business suit... 

It was Luna and she was talking quickly on the phone. When she noticed him, she waved excitedly to him. Prompto could not believe his luck and quickly approached her. 

“Okay,” Luna said on the phone. She still had that dazzling smile for Prompto while her eyes furrowed at what was being said to her. “Sure, I’ll be there in about 20 minutes.” There was a pause. “Okay, sounds good… bye.”

“Hello!” Prompto said excitedly. 

“Hey,” Luna waved at him and then clapped her hands over her mouth. “Are you here for a class?” 

“Kind of,” Prompto said sheepishly. “I was just dropping off my Dad for a knitting class.”

“Actually,” Luna grinned widely. “This is perfect. You can meet my fiancé! He hates dancing, so I suggested this and tonight worked out perfectly because he was available.”

Prompto’s grin widened as well. “That sounds great.”

“Let me go get him,” Luna said excitedly. “The class is almost over anyways.”

“Sure no problem,” Prompto said. In later years, Prompto would joke about this event when he recalled this story to friends and family. At this time however, this was the beginning of the worst moment in Prompto’s life.

It began with Nyx, who was down the hallway and waved at Prompto. It dawned on Prompto that maybe his father told him where he was going for the night. He wanted to find a way to leave but there was no bathroom nearby that Prompto could see. He did not want to back away either because Luna was about to introduce him to her fiancé. 

Then it happened. The absolute worst thing in the history of mankind happened. 

Prompto could feel the dread start from his knees and go up towards his chest. Luna was walking towards him and she had a huge grin on her face. She was holding the hand of the most handsome doctor Prompto had ever seen in his life. 

That _fucking_ bastard… 

Noctis. That _fucking_ hot bastard of a doctor.

Prompto tried to smile but he probably looked like he was gritting his teeth. He would have paid any amount of money to disappear on the spot and maybe just to die here. This was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. He had never dated a client before or tried to involve himself with any grooms or brides. There were offers throughout the years, of course, but Prompto was not the type to take up anyone on the offer. All he wanted to do right now was to tell Luna that she was going to marry some bastard doctor.

But he couldn’t say anything. He just smiled and tried to play it off.

It was not working and Prompto noticed that Noctis looked like he was also realizing that this also might be the worst moment of his life so far as well.

“Prompto,” Luna laughed. “This is my fiancé Noctis Caelum.”

“Uh,” Prompto stammered. God, Prompto just wanted to punch _him_ in the face. “R-right…”

Luna picked up on it right away. “Is everything okay?”

They both replied “YES!” too quickly and Prompto felt like he was going to throw up on the spot. He felt so terrible but also so angry. He wanted to kick Noctis in his stupidly handsome face. Luna was so nice and he honestly did not deserve her _at all_.

“Well well… it’s a party isn’t it?”

Prompto flinched right away and realized that Nyx was now here and now he was talking. 

Oh no…

“What the hell,” Prompto stammered and Nyx immediately put an arm over Prompto’s shoulders. If Prompto’s brain was cooperating with him, he would have immediately pulled out of the embrace. But at the moment, his body was not working and he was trying his best to smile at Luna and throw the best death glare he could muster at Noctis.

“Hey,” Nyx said in a smooth voice. “My name is Nyx. You all know each other?”

Prompto would have paid his entire life savings for Luna to take him out of his misery right there and then. He would have deserved it. Then he could come back to life as a daemon like one of those old horror stories and kill Noctis for being a bastard.

“Oh,” Luna said she outstretched her hand and nudged Noctis to do the same. Prompto saw that now instead of Noctis appearing to be shocked, a new emotion appeared across his face. It might have been anger and Prompto did not know what to do with that bit of information. “I’m Lunafreya Nox Flueret. This is my fiancé, Noctis. Prompto is going to plan our wedding.”

They both shook Nyx’s hand and all three looked at Prompto. To his own credit, Prompto finally managed to form a coherent thought.

“Well,” Prompto began suddenly. “I have… I should go. It was n-nice meeting all of you.”

Noctis’ glare seemed to intensify as Prompto felt Nyx’s arm fall lower towards the waist.

“Oh Prompto,” Luna snapped her fingers excitedly. “Is this the guy?”

Oh no.

“Well,” Nyx interrupted. “I’m so glad that Prompto has told you about me. It is so nice to find someone that is good looking and ready to settle down in the city. We were actually childhood friends.”

No.

“Oh really!” Luna giggled. Prompto looked at Noctis who seemed to be getting angrier by the second. “That is so nice… isn’t that nice Noctis?”

Noctis just nodded his head but Prompto still wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

“I am not feeling well,” Prompto said quickly. He really wasn’t. He wanted to leave as fast as he could. Prompto already knew that he had a bottle of wine and a tissue box with his name on it back to his apartment. He was already upset because tomorrow was the big wedding and he wanted to tell Aranea to go in his place because there was _no way_ he could plan this wedding.

“Oh no,” Luna let go of Noctis’ hand and patted Prompto’s arm worriedly. “Maybe Nyx could take you home?”

“No!” Prompto said quickly. He winced slightly at Luna’s shocked expression but then calmed his voice. “No… I’ll be fine. I think it might have been my… my dinner earlier.”

“I can take you home Prompto,” Nyx winked. Prompto frowned and shook his head multiple times.

“Look I am going home,” Prompto finally managed to get out of Nyx’s hold on him. “It was nice to meet you Noctis.” Prompto made sure to punctuate that last sentence with as much clarity as he could. Noctis merely nodded at him, but turned away to Luna with a blush on his face. 

Prompto gave a polite wave to Luna and tried to walk quickly to the nearest restroom. He could hear Nyx say his name but Prompto chose to ignore him. In Prompto’s head, he reasoned that he could hide in the restroom until he died. It would be fine, all he would have to do is just wait in the stall and try and find a way to die in there. _He was so embarrassed_. Another part of Prompto wanted to stomp on Noctis’ stupid face and tell Luna she was marrying a possibly very closeted asshole. The part of Prompto that was winning at the moment just wanted to cry. 

So he did that instead. Then he heard a knock on the stall.

“Who made you cry Prompto?” 

It was his father and suddenly Prompto felt even worse. So he cried some more.

“N-no... one d-dad,” Prompto whimpered.

“Hey,” his Dad knocked again. “Tell me about it and I’ll take us home.”

“Y-you c-can’t d-rive,” Prompto was now openly sobbing but he opened the door either way. 

“I have uber on my phone,” Cor smiled. “You are too much. Now get up and we can go home.”

“We can’t do that,” Prompto huffed. He wiped away his tears and began to pull himself together. If his makeup smudged off that would be terrible so he quickly grabbed some toilet paper and blew his nose. When Prompto finally opened the stall door fully to his Dad, who was leaning in his walker, he looked at Prompto skeptically.

“Do I need to kick Nyx’s ass?” Cor frowned. “He seemed _so_ nice!”

“It wasn’t him,” Prompto pouted. 

“Okay then,” Cor grinned. “If that person left already, I’ll beat their ass for you.”

Prompto laughed a bit and was grateful to have his father. Even if he wanted to hook him up with his childhood bully.

“Let’s take you home,” his father grinned. “You have that big wedding tomorrow right?”

“Yeah…” Prompto whined. He continued to walk with his father and made sure to check each hallway to avoid Noctis, Luna and Nyx. He felt terrible but he did not want to see either of them. But he would see at least two out of the three tomorrow which made him feel even worse. 

***

Prompto decided somewhere between 3 AM and 6 AM that he was going to stop feeling sorry for himself and get it together. So what if he had a non-date with a man with a fiancé? He could recover from this just fine. He had his heart broken plenty of times before and he had no problem rebounding right back. So at 6:05, he got up and made his daily 3 mile run. Prompto would have ran more, but he decided that this was enough for now.

Next he ironed his outfit and made sure to look impeccable. He just had to put on the best foundation he had (chanel) and his best shoes (gucci) and the best suit he owned (Tom Ford). Prompto tried to style his hair differently. Instead of the usual spiky chocobo hair he always had, he decided to brush it back the way he had in high school. When he began to shave, he looked at his goatee and decided to shave it off. If he was going to change and start fresh, he decided to start now. After ironing his shirt he got ready and was prepared for whatever was coming at him that day. 

If Noctis was going to make him into a fool today, at least he would look amazing.

***

Prompto was absolutely in his element. The wedding was going marvelously so far. He even managed some sowing when a ripped seam appeared on one of the bridesmaid’s dresses. Luna and her mother, Sylva, were the first to arrive. Luna was nice enough to ask if Prompto was feeling better and Prompto said he just needed some rest, but he was fine. Luna’s mother was lovely, although, she did manage to get a drink from a bar at the reception hall. Unfortunately, Prompto’s good mood was sullied by the appearance of Noctis and his father, Regis Caelum, a famous businessman who owned half the buildings in the city. Prompto was so mad he did not put two and two together when he did but there was no point of feeling regret now. Prompto was just happy the wedding was going well. He managed to tell Cindy what happened the night before with a quick phone call. She was supportive and shot Noctis the best death-glare she could muster. Noctis just looked like he did the night before: Embarrassed and flustered.

Prompto just nodded at him but did not speak to Noctis at all. Prompto did shake hands with Regis who looked pleased with the site of the reception.

“How do you like this?” Prompto asked Sylva. She inspected the outdoor site before them. It was a park that was next to a church in the city. There were hedges that were adorned with flowers and beautiful canopies that Prompto had to retrofit to the site. The tables were covered in fine china, pristine white tablecloths and each place setting was customized for each guest. The bride and groom managed to have a polaroid picture with each guest’s face and there was a live band playing music while the food (a 7 course meal) was being served. Sylva and Regis looked impressed but Prompto waited for Sylva’s opinion the most. The mother of the bride was usually the second most important person in the wedding. 

“Mr. Prompto,” Sylva asked while drinking some of the drink. Luna put her hand over her forehead in embarrassment. “This is stunning. I love the attention to detail.”

“Thank you,” Prompto grinned and briefly looked at Noctis who glared at him before turning away.

“What do you see for my daughter’s wedding?” Sylva asked. She finished her drink with one gulp while Luna groaned a bit. “This is lovely. Probably one of the nicest weddings I have _ever_ seen. But I want to know what you could do for my daughter. Anything she wants is fine with me.”

“I agree,” Regis chimed in. “We have many important dignitaries, politicians and some celebrities coming. We want this wedding to be talked about for years.”

Prompto nodded. He had his sales pitch ready. Noctis finally looked at him when Regis nudged him a bit. 

“Based on what Luna showed me earlier this week. I see an outdoor ceremony at park with a fountain as the background. There will be silk tents that will be in the background and since the wedding will be in the spring, there will be a light breeze to make sure the background is constantly in movement. Sculptures of Shiva could be at the entrance of the reception area. Luna wanted sylleblossoms and I managed to secure a vendor that will be willing to do the decour for the reception and the ceremony. The sylleblossoms can be at the centerpiece of each table and they would be able to complement the 1000-thread count tablecloths. Organic, of course. There will be small lights that will be everywhere and I was thinking of flower chandeliers coming down the ceiling. Periwinkle lighting…” 

Prompto knew he had sold his idea and Luna looked near tears. She was on board. Sylva looked on with the drink in her hand with absolute joy written all over her face. Regis looked impressed and eager to discuss more of the logistics of the wedding. Noctis was listening, and Prompto knew he was listening. But Noctis was not happy and only smiled when Luna looked at him.

Sylva gave Prompto a hug when he was done with his pitch and asked when the paperwork could be signed. Luna was also happy with what Prompto had said. Regis and Sylva spoke to each other excitedly and walked around the wedding to look at the rest of the site. Luna talked to Prompto about a few ideas she saw online. The only time she stopped talking was to answer her phone. When she did, she excused herself which left Prompto and Noctis to stare at each other for a bit.

Prompto’s smile disappeared and Noctis continued to look at him with a cold stare.

“Do you like it?” Prompto asked finally. Noctis looked at the site then looked back at Prompto.

“I guess,” Noctis said while stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Prompto approached Noctis carefully. Luna was still on the phone and while Prompto was not the type at all to get upset, he was still furious. So he chose his words carefully and made sure they could not be heard by anyone else at the reception.

“I don’t know what your deal is,” Prompto said firmly. “But you are an _asshole_. If you are one of those straight-acting dudes that is going to go behind her back, you better save _your_ Dad and _her_ Mom a lot of money.”

Noctis stared at him but Prompto was not done yet. Luna was still on the phone but she smiled at both of them. She mouthed, “Sorry!”

“And I won’t tell her what you did either,” Prompto said in a low tone. There was someone with a plate of food that whizzed past them. Once he was gone, Prompto continued. “But you better get your act together.”

“It wasn’t a date,” Noctis said quickly. “I felt bad for you because I thought you ran in the street. I didn’t know—”

“—oh shut up,” Prompto was getting more agitated but stopped once he saw Luna coming back. “ _You were going to kiss me_.”

Noctis’ eyes flew open and he tried to shush Prompto with a glare of his own. When Luna came back, she looked at both of them with a huge grin on her face. 

“Sorry about that,” Luna said as she pushed back her bangs gracefully. Prompto was even more agitated because if Noctis could not see what a catch he had, there was _truly_ no hope. Maybe Prompto should have told his father to find him a nice girl instead because this was ridiculous. 

“It’s okay,” Prompto waved his hands and smiled. He was back in full work mode.

“I was going to ask you Prompto,” Luna began. “My friend from work has this vineyard outside of the city near the beach. I think we should go next weekend. My Mom is going to leave the Monday after and I believe your father is leaving on that Tuesday right Noctis?”

Noctis nodded but sighed. “I already switched shifts to be here. I don’t think I could work a double again.” 

“Come on Noctis,” Luna took him by the arm and smiled at him. “I’ll make it up to you alright!”

Noctis shuffled his feet but grabbed his phone to make a call of his own. 

“Prompto,” Luna said as she watched Noctis. “Ask your boyfriend to come with us too! He was _so_ handsome!”

Prompto looked at Noctis triumphantly. Noctis looked even more upset and continued to talk on the phone. Hell, Prompto did not want to pass up this golden opportunity. He thought of Cindy telling him this would be a terrible, awful, stupid and terrible idea. On the other hand, the look on Noctis’ face was amazing and Prompto wanted to get some payback. 

“Sure,” Prompto smiled widely. “I’ll ask him to come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY CLUSTERFUCK!!!
> 
> The response to this has been kind of amazing so thank you! Let me know what you think, I thrive off of comments and kudos. If you want to yell at me, I am on twitter @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche
> 
> It will literally be more hijinks and falling so be prepared for that. Happy Wednesday!


	4. Pour It Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May your heart be your Gauldin Quay!

“Prompto,” Cindy sounded absolutely distressed on the other end of the phone. “This is a terrible idea. Prompto… _why_?”

Prompto, to his only credit, had no idea why he did that. Well, that was a lie, he knew exactly why he did that. His head was still spinning even after he confirmed his plans with Luna. She was excited and Prompto had no idea what he agreed to. It was _so_ stupid but he was really upset.

There had never been a time when Prompto had strayed or even bothered to share a “celebrity crush” with whomever he was dating at the time. To think that he was the object of some bastard’s affections was too much for him to take. He felt terrible for Luna, he felt terrible for the parents who were paying for this wedding with an amount equal to the gross domestic product of a small country. Prompto was upset. Cindy, thankfully, was listening to him eagerly and was pulling him back to reality. 

“I know I fucked up,” Prompto said finally. “But… being that petty felt really good!”

“But Prompto,” Cindy whined. “This is going to be awful. I know Nyx really… _really_ likes you. And you are going to lead him on.”

Prompto had not thought about that and groaned into the phone as an answer.

“You are doing the same thing that doctor did to you. Now be smart about this Stud. We still have to plan this wedding. Grooms get cold feet and fuck up all the time. But it is our job to fix it and put on a wedding. Couples therapy is supposed to keep them married. We just have to get them married..”

“You’re right,” Prompto said sheepishly. “You are always right.”

“I know I am!” Cindy’s voice boomed over the phone line. “Look, why don’t we tell Aranea to run the show. At least you can still do it but not be involved so much. It is going to make you perform even worse if that doctor is going to distract you.”

Prompto thought that was a good idea. Even though Aranea had not really worked on a wedding on her own in about a year, maybe it would be good to put her in charge. Prompto could still contribute and maybe he could use the excuse that the wedding planner needed an extra set of eyes to pull it off. When Prompto first started working, he and Aranea always planned weddings together before she let him go off on his own. So maybe she would be up for it. Prompto looked at the time on his fitbit and it was already too late to call Aranea. 

“I’ll talk with her tomorrow,” Prompto said finally. “And I should go to bed.”

“Listen to me Stud,” Cindy began thoughtfully. “I know that you’re mad and everything, but there is no point in being mad for that long. Things will look up eventually. I’m still on a mission to find you the best person to marry because you deserve it! _Maybe_ not today ‘cause you were being an idiot. But Monday, we’ll start fresh!”

“Right,” Prompto said again. “You’re right.” Now he felt stupid again but it had been a long day. Prompto got maybe 3 hours of sleep the night before and that was a gracious estimate. He was exhausted and as soon as he said goodnight to Cindy, he was so sleepy. 

Before Prompto slept however, he deleted Noctis’ number because he did not need that negativity in his life. Starting fresh was the main goal here. It’s why he changed his hair and shaved off his goatee. Change was a good thing. 

Monday would be better. 

***

“I’m not going to help you with this,” Aranea said first thing Monday morning. “You didn’t sleep with him, thank the gods. So there is no point in getting your boxer-briefs in a twist.”

Prompto rolled his eyes but he continued to listen to his boss.

“Look Prompto,” Aranea coughed and leaned against her too expensive leather office chair. “After we finished this client, I wanted to make you a partner.”

Prompto had not even finished his cup of coffee yet but he felt like he just received the best news of his life. 

“Me?!”

“Yes you,” Aranea frowned. “You are my best wedding planner. I make all of my money off of you. I saw some floor plans in your office the other day. And they weren’t for your house you want to build. So that leads me to believe that you want an out. And I don’t want you to do that.”

Prompto blinked but raised his hands in denial. “No no no… no! I just… I am not going to lie, I was thinking about it. The architect made a mockup but I don’t really want to leave this business. I want to build that house first for me and my Dad. He deserves a backyard and a pool… you know?”

Aranea frowned and continued. “Look, I’m not going to lose you to another wedding company. You are my best worker and if this is what gets you to stay with me, that is what I am willing to do.”

Prompto grinned. Who knew Mondays could be this good?

“But…”

Prompto might have spoken too soon. 

“You have to pull this wedding off Prompto,” Aranea said firmly. “You didn’t sleep with him. Unless he calls off the wedding or the bride calls it off, plan this until the last drunken uncle gets hauled off the dance floor. That’s my only condition. You got it?”

He sighed and looked at his boss. Aranea was scary when she got tough with him, but who was Prompto to say no?

“Okay,” Prompto said gloomily. “I’ll do it.”

“Also,” Aranea said quickly. “Cindy is going with you this weekend. I might tag along too because if you pull this off, I’ll give you a three week vacation. Paid. Plus... you are going to be my partner. So I’d say that’s a pretty good deal for one wedding.”

Prompto’s eyes opened wide and Aranea nodded with a cocky grin on her face.

“Alright then,” Prompto said slowly. “I’m also bringing someone else. But I have to tell you about him.”

Aranea furrowed her brows and sighed.

“Okay then Prompto, tell me…”

***

Prompto managed to rent one large luxury van for all of them to head off to for the weekend. Luna’s mother paid for it but she, Luna’s maid of honor, Ravus (the brother who Prompto had not met) and Regis were already at the vineyard waiting for them. Prompto was eager to see how Ravus acted amidst the people that were all there. It was one thing to micro-manage a small party, but Prompto had to do this with some very powerful people. As soon as Prompto got into the van, he noticed Noctis was the one driving but he looked terrible. Ignis was continuously offering to take the wheel but Noctis refused and said Ignis could drive on the way back. The site was this gorgeous vineyard near Gauldin Quay. Prompto knew there was an island off the coast that would look stunning in the photographs. It was an ideal place and Prompto was excited to take photographs for possible staging and ceremonial areas. At the moment however, he was stuck in a very full van.

In the car were Noctis (aka the hot bastard doctor), Luna (the saintly bride to be), Ignis (co-best man), Gladio (co-best man), Aranea (boss), Cindy (bestie) and Prompto (wedding planner). Luna sat in the shotgun seat and was rummaging through wedding CDs she had picked up. Gladio was in the backseat with Cindy who was trying out new filters for her snapchat story. Ignis and Aranea were in the middle row and Ignis made polite small talk with her. Prompto had a whole row to himself as he sorted through some of the files he had brought. He was directly behind Noctis which was good because Prompto did not want to look at that bastard anyways.

“So Prompto,” Luna began. “I was thinking about this song.”

Now Prompto, who was the long time winner of the marriage betting pool at work knew a few facts about how long marriages would last. Death and taxes were certainties in life. The other certainty was that Olivia Newton John’s “I Honestly Love You” was a guaranteed marriage killer. All of the marriages Prompto had planned with _that song_ as the first dance between the couple were doomed for failure. The shortest was two weeks, the longest was 10 months. When Prompto heard the opening notes and Luna singing it in the car, the blood in Prompto’s face disappeared. Aranea caught his eye and she shook her head at Prompto. _Don’t even think about it_ his boss’ eyes clearly said.

It was hard but Prompto took a deep breath and gave Luna a smile when she looked back towards him. “I _love_ it.”

“Good,” Luna smiled. “Isn’t it good Noctis?”

“... Yeah it’s great,” Noctis said with a gruff tone. Luna gave a disapproving look but looked back at the files that Prompto had scattered over the seat.

“So Prompto,” Luna said dreamily. “Is Nyx coming?”

Prompto heard Noctis clear his throat but Prompto ignored that.

“Yes,” Prompto replied. “I don’t know if he is already there or if he is coming later though.”

“Who’s Nyx?” Gladio asked.

“Well,” Luna grinned. “He’s the guy that saved Prompto’s life, right?”

Prompto could feel the blush on his face as everyone except for Noctis were looking right at him. Ignis looked stunned but his eyes narrowed right at Prompto. Gladio folded his arms and inched closer in his seat.

“Actually,” Prompto said slowly. “Um… different guy…”

“What happened?” Luna turned her whole body around and looked directly at Prompto. Aranea gave him a dangerous look and Prompto took a deep breath. He was not going to lie but he was not going to cause an accident on the highway either. 

“So,” Prompto cleared his throat. “The guy that saved me… it turned out he was a client at our company. I didn’t know he was getting married of course… I still feel really bad about it.”

Noctis, who Prompto thought was doing a good job at driving, was now going slightly faster than the speed limit indicated on side of the road. Now Ignis and Gladio were glaring at Noctis and Prompto felt slightly vindicated if Noctis’ own best friends were going to chastise him for the rest of the weekend.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Luna shook her head with a frown. “What an asshole, huh Noctis?”

There was a pause and then finally Noctis spoke. “Yeah.... what an asshole.”

Prompto did a mental high-five when he noticed both Gladio and Ignis shaking their heads. Noctis clearly must have seen the two of them because he kept coughing loudly.

“Nyx is nice though,” Aranea said quickly. “Prompto really needs a nice person in his life.”

“And he is easy on the eyes,” Cindy chimed in thoughtfully. 

“I am so happy to hear that,” Luna stated firmly. “He really seemed smitten with you Prompto.”

Prompto nodded but was still not sure if his plan was going to work. When Prompto spoke to Nyx earlier that week, he was very clear: “Do this favor for me, and I will go on one official date with you.” Nyx, who did not let Prompto finish the sentence, rapidly agreed. At the moment, Prompto was secretly grateful for Nyx not being in the van because this was already awkward enough.

When they finally did arrive, Nyx was there and he was waving at them. There was also Luna’s brother who looked like he did not want to be there either.

Gods, why did Prompto think this was a good idea?

***

Prompto, Aranea and Cindy were still working and combing the vineyard. Cindy avidly took notes and made certain estimates as far as seating arrangements and how the bride and groom would be placed on the small hill overlooking the island. Aranea was already drawing up a mock contract for the owner of the vineyard and talking about how to get distributors to the location. Prompto was talking with Sylva, Regis and Luna who were engrossed with the site. It would be beautiful. While it was chilly because of the January weather, Prompto said that during the summer season, the site would be more than ideal. It would also be good for Luna and Noctis’ schedules as well.

It was then that Prompto noticed something odd. Well it didn’t seem too odd to everyone else there, but he noticed that there was something amiss when he heard Gladio laugh in the distance. Prompto excused himself to go to the restroom and made his way down a stony path off in the distance.

He also heard Gladio say something about “that puny body.” That was _weird_.

So Prompto asked to be excused and went towards the direction of the commotion. It was really one of the best things he could ever see with his own two eyes.

Nyx was in a push up contest with Noctis. 

Ignis kept tapping his foot and saying numbers that were in the 30s range. Noctis had 33 under his belt as Prompto inched closer and closer. Nyx had 55 and kept laughing because there was not a drop of sweat on his face. Gladio said that he and Nyx would compete next and Nyx readily agreed. Ravus was pointing and mocking Noctis’ sweating face. Noctis looked like absolute hell. His face was covered in sweat and he looked exhausted. Prompto stifled a laugh and hoped that none of them would see him looking.

“Where is that dog-on friend of mine?”

Prompto flinched as he heard Cindy’s voice. He quickly made his way back to the main courtyard of the vineyard. Maybe Nyx was not so bad after all.

***

The owner of the vineyard was really nice and Prompto was hopeful for this spot. It was beautiful, it had never been the sight of a wedding before. The view of the ocean and Angelgard Island off in the distance would be a magnificent backdrop for the wedding. Prompto was snapping pictures and taking notes on where he could place the tents and how he could arrange the distributors once they decided to drop everything off. 

“Excuse me,” it was one of Noctis’ best men, Ignis. So Prompto looked at him and smiled. “May I have a word?”

“Me,” Prompto pointed at himself. Once Ignis nodded, Prompto handed one of his notebooks to Cindy and he began to walk with Ignis. “Is this going to take long?”

“No,” Ignis pushed up his glasses and eyed Prompto wearily. “It should not. I just need to speak with you.”

“Oh,” Prompto felt silly but he still went along with Ignis. Prompto’s unease turned to dread when he noticed Gladio, the other best man also approach Prompto tentatively. 

“I just want to ask the full details on what happened between you and Noctis,” Ignis stated plainly. Gladio approached from behind and he had his arms crossed. Prompto tried to puff up his chest, but the two men had at least half a foot on him in height so that did no good.

“What that your friend is a possible cheater?” Prompto said perhaps a bit too loudly. But he didn’t care. He was still upset. 

“No kid,” Gladio winced. “We asked Noctis about it. He honestly thought it was just you and him watching a movie.”

“We ate lunch too!” Prompto almost-yelled. “And we were going to kiss!”

Ignis and Gladio gave each other a look then looked right back at Prompto. 

“If he is having cold feet,” Prompto put his hands on his hips and tried to be firm. “Then he should delay this wedding. There is nothing wrong with a long engagement or couple’s therapy. I just don’t want Luna to get hurt in all of this. She is really nice.”

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose and Gladio looked upset.

“We’ll talk to him,” Gladio said finally. “But we just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to do anything.”

“I’m not,” Prompto snapped back. “I want to plan this wedding and never see him again.” Prompto was lying about one of the things he said. He was not about to admit to himself which one was the truth. “That’s why I brought Nyx.”

Ignis, which had been serious up to this point, stifled a small chuckle. “Oh him…”

Gladio laughed a bit more openly. “I think that was a good idea kid. Noct is a glutton for punishment today.”

“Though may I say,” Ignis began. “Nyx is under the impression that the two of you are in love.”

Prompto, who had been serious up to that point felt his face becoming red. 

Oh no.

“W-what?”

“Yeah,” Gladio chuckled. “The guy is hysterical. Ravus is never in a good mood and he loves that guy.”

Ignis nodded and Prompto scowled and tried to straighten his collared shirt. He felt hot and uncomfortable. 

“Excuse me,” Prompto said quietly. 

Okay, maybe this plan was not going as well as Prompto thought.

***

Nyx, to Prompto’s credit, forced Noctis to run a mile against him in the athletic center before dinner. Prompto watched as Noctis kept shedding off more and more of his clothes and watching over Nyx’s treadmill. Nyx was keeping a steady pace and breathing evenly. Noctis looked furious but kept trying to go faster than Nyx. The treadmills shook with just how fast both men were running. Prompto and Cindy laughed while they watched both of them while everyone else looked on rather unimpressed.

The one that surprised Prompto the most was Noctis’ father, who looked at his son with a curious expression.

“I wonder why they keep trying to one up each other,” Ravus laughed.

The person that broke them up from going to mile 2 was Luna, surprisingly enough. She laughed and laughed as she forced Noctis to go up to their room for the night to shower off. Noctis made eye contact with Prompto but turned away quickly with a blush on his face. Or maybe it was just the heat of running the mile? Prompto was not sure. 

“Hello everyone,” Regis said to the crowd. “Let’s eat shall we?”

Aranea and Ignis did not walk immediately towards the main hall where Prompto was thinking could be one of the main quarters for the bridesmaids. Apparently Luna’s other bridesmaids were busy with work but that was fine. Prompto just wanted a rough estimate.

“I should go,” Aranea told Prompto as he looked at her in confusion. “Apparently this guy,” Aranea pointed at Ignis. “ He has an early morning shift tomorrow. So we are just going to uber it back together.”

Prompto eyed Ignis who nodded at him as Aranea yawned. 

“Make sure the groom behaves himself,” Ignis told Prompto. 

Prompto, gave Aranea the rest of his files and felt relieved that he was done for the day. He was already felt ahead of schedule. The dinner was pleasant enough. Prompto allowed this to be his cheat meal. The steak and potatoes were delicious. It was a delight to watch Luna’s mother drink her third glass of wine and serenade the table with her tone-deaf singing. Ravus started to loosen up as well and provided the baritone his mother needed so desperately. At that point in the meal, everyone was too drunk to tell Sylva to keep it down. Even Luna sung a few songs and demanded that there be karaoke at the wedding.

The only person who was not enjoying themselves was Noctis. He showed up mid-way through the meal and did eat. He looked bored and disinterested. Nyx on the other hand, egged Luna on and asked the owner if they could do karaoke. There was an old machine with some CDs that the owner managed to locate one in a storage closet.

Nyx tried to convince Prompto to come and sing Al Green’s “Let’s stay together” and thankfully right at that moment, Prompto heard his phone ring. It was his father and he ran quickly outside to the outskirts of the vineyard.

Prompto gave his father a quick rundown of the day’s events. He also tried to convince his father that he and Nyx were definitely not dating but Prompto was not sure if his father understood that. It was late so Prompto decided to let it go and hung up the phone once his father said how tired he was from the day. 

And that should have been the end of the long day. Except it was not. Because another person had joined him outside.. 

It was that stupid hot bastard of a doctor. Prompto steadied his nerve and tried not to get ahead of himself. He could absolutely just go back to the main hall and ignore him for the rest of the night. In fact Prompto could ignore him for the rest of the months they had until the summer wedding. At least Luna said he was not interested in the wedding planning at all. 

“Hello,” Noctis said slowly. Prompto could not help it but he giggled at Noctis. 

“Sorry,” Prompto could not stop laughing. “Why were you... trying to outrun Nyx?”

Noctis crossed his arms and was as upset as Prompto had ever seen him so far.

“Are you seriously dating him?” Noctis asked. “Because if that’s the case, you are no better than me.”

Prompto stopped laughing right away. “NO! .... I’m not dating him.” He paused and Noctis had an unreadable look on his face. “He’s _trying_ to date me but... he’s not exactly my type at all.”

“Well,” Noctis looked upset, but less so. “So you brought him along to make me jealous.”

“I did not!” Prompto said quickly. “And if I did… well I think it worked. You looked like an idiot on that treadmill.” He began to laugh again. “N-noctis look… I am going to plan this wedding whether you like it or not.” He paused. “So let’s just agree to stay far away from each other. I’ll pretend that it never happened. And I’ll be professional about this whole thing.”

Noctis bit his lip and turned away. “I guess that sounds good.”

“Okay then,” Prompto smiled and he knew every word he said was probably meaningless at this point. But he was a professional and as much as Noctis was handsome and a doctor, Prompto thought of the nice house he was going to build for his father. There would be the the caretaker that he could hire so that his father could be well taken care of. It was all going to be over in five months and then... he could find someone else. 

Not Nyx (absolutely _not_ Nyx) but someone else would be good for him.

When Prompto made his way back to the main hall, it was a good kind of hot mess. Nyx was singing (shouting) “I believe in a thing called love” with Luna who had one too many of those glasses of wine. Gladio was on a sofa videotapping them with his phone. Cindy was taking selfies of herself with Ravus who was now holding another glass of wine. Prompto noticed Luna’s mother being taken away upstairs by the owner of the vineyard. 

The mother of the bride _definitely_ had one too many. 

Prompto noticed Noctis’ father was absent from the rowdy festivities. He probably went to bed early, Prompto thought.

“Noct,” Gladio looked like he was stumbling towards Noctis but Prompto was not drunk enough to appreciate how focused he was on grabbing Noctis’ shoulders. “We gotta sing next.”

Noctis rolled his eyes and the song, courtesy of Nyx and Luna, was done. He still looked upset and Gladio’s grin could not cure that out of Noctis. “No.”

“Oh good you’re back,” Luna hurried towards Prompto and Noctis and clapped her hands excitedly. “I have some good news!”

Prompto and Noctis looked at each other and back to Luna. Gladio was stumbling back to grab the empty microphone that was now free to use.

“I have to be out of the country for a month,” Luna’s face was red but she looked focused enough to tell them this information. “So you two can plan the wedding!”

 _No_.

“What?!?” Prompto was dumbfounded.

“Luna,” Noctis whined. “I c-can’t… that’s n-not…”

“It’ll be fine,” Luna shushed both with a wave of her hand. “It’s that charity I have been trying to start in Tenebrae. You _know_ how much it means to me Noct. I already gave Prompto my wedding folder. It’ll be fine. Plus there is facetime now so I can just see what you two pick out. I trust you two!”

Prompto looked at Noctis and yes, Cindy was right. 

This was a _terrible_ idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday everyone!
> 
> This is slowly turning into the best hot mess I have ever written and I cannot stop plotting it. So thank you for the wonderful comments and response to this fic. I greatly appreciate it!
> 
> If you want to yell at me, I am on twitter full-time @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche!


	5. Needed Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning for trouble.

“Dad,” Prompto whined. “I don’t want to plan this wedding anymore!”

“Come on Prompto,” his Dad teased. “Just suck it up and do it. Before you know it, it’ll be over!”

“But,” Prompto wanted to tell his Dad just why he didn’t want to plan the wedding. He really did. But it was too hard to admit that he might… _might_ be slightly…

No.

Prompto pushed that thought out of his mind right away. He had used that L-word only one other person. _The Asshole_. This was not love in Prompto’s mind. Whatever it was, it had to be a simple infatuation. That’s how Prompto explained it to himself. His Dad was right though. If he just pushed through it, everything would be fine. He was going to plan the best wedding he could muster. He was going to buy the house for his Dad. He was going to do all of this and then meet someone else that was _not_ the hot bastard doctor. 

“Dad,” Prompto began. “You’re right. You _are_ right.”

“Is Nyx still there?” his Dad asked. Prompto sighed and explained, in great detail, that he was in no way or shape near Nyx. He managed to lock himself away in a room for the night that was the furthest away from anyone else. 

“I’m tired,” Prompto said with a yawn to punctuate it. “I’m going to bed now. Good night Dad.”

“Alright then,” his Dad laughed. “Good night.”

When Prompto hung up the phone he was very conflicted. On the one hand, he was upset with himself because this was all the result of him being petty? Maybe not. Or maybe the universe just hated him? After all, his biological parents did not want him as a kid so that was already a strike that the universe was not in his favor. There was also his ex-fiancé (The Asshole) and well… yeah that was the second time Prompto thought the universe hated him. 

If the amends for all of that was planning this wedding, then he could live with that.

He had survived worse, and Prompto was a survivor. Before Prompto went to sleep, he listened to Destiny’s Child “Survivor” on repeat. That was enough to make him content enough for sleep.

***

The rest of the weekend passed by without much incident. Prompto learned (through eavesdropping) that Ravus absolutely _hated_ Noctis. Why? Well, he distinctly heard, “My sister deserves better.” 

Prompto could not agree more. The ride home was awful but Prompto managed to get some work done. Luna, who was too good for any of this, gave Prompto Noctis’ schedule for the following month. Noctis, who Prompto refused to speak to, managed to give Prompto a slight nod of agreement. All Prompto could do was grin and bear it while he put the dates and times on his phone. 

On the first day of their planned outing, Noctis did not show up and Prompto was grateful for it. The schedule for the day was the china that would be used for the reception. Prompto had a favorite that would be good especially if the color palette was going to remain unchanged. Despite knowing what to pick, Prompto reluctantly called Luna to confirm the selection. When Luna (who was thankfully not busy) asked where Noctis was, Prompto was honest about it. Noctis was not there and there was a deep sigh from the other end of the phone. Prompto managed to send some pictures and Luna went with his number one choice. 

Luna decided on banded china with a platinum rim that looked stunning. Ravus was right: His sister deserved better.

***

“Oh,” Prompto finally saw Noctis (who still looked hot and miserable). “You’re actually here huh?”

They were currently on the steps of one of the nicest buildings in the city of Insomnia. It had a wonderful view of the downtown area. It was Prompto’s top pick for the rehearsal dinner.

“Luna told me I had to be here,” Noctis yawned. “Actually… she got upset that I wasn’t here yesterday.”

Prompto frowned and did not answer back. They made their way into the building and did not speak to each other. Noctis just followed Prompto as he waved to the main security guard that knew him well enough. Prompto knew the man would validate his parking later and he was not about to share that information with Noctis because he was still a bastard. Still, Prompto decided to be nice and hold the elevator for Noctis as he slogged in.

“So,” Prompto said slowly. _It was so awkward_. “How is the doctoring going?”

Noctis cocked an eyebrow at him and sighed. “It’s called my practice.”

“Whatever,” Prompto sighed. He handed Noctis a flyer that had some caterers he liked. “I don’t know if you wanted to go with the typical five or seven course menu for the wedding. This is my favorite one but I can provide other selections. The option is there for something more elaborate if you want to do that?”

Prompto, for the first time since their conversation back in the vineyard, finally looked at Noctis. He was still handsome. 

This was not fair at all. 

“Can we just do this first?” Noctis asked before looking at the paper utterly confused. “I thought we were just doing the rehearsal dinner today.”

As the elevator door opened, Prompto rolled his eyes. “Well you still have to pick food for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding.”

“Luna said she would be fine with whatever I pick,” Noctis said softly. He squinted at the paper and read through the options. “I am going to just eat the dishes with the least amount of vegetables anyways.”

“Are you five?” Prompto frowned. He was not expecting an answer back but Noctis just smiled a bit. Well, Prompto thought, at least he was being cordial.

As they went through the floor, Prompto talked about the ability to practice the march down the aisle on a wide entryway that looked amazing. He had the mockups ready that were concept art photoss of the vineyard and showed Noctis, who was absolutely disinterested. All Noctis did was agree to whatever Prompto had suggested. Every once in awhile, Prompto would catch Noctis looking at him when he would get on a roll with his wedding lingo. When that happened, Noctis would look down at the papers that Prompto would hand to him and study those intently.

“Okay,” Prompto said finally when he put all the information down for the associate that was there. He just had a few more things to do. Noctis was on his phone and his eyes went slightly wide when Prompto came back to him.

“So,” Noctis smiled. “Cake testing is this week too?”

“Yes,” Prompto said. “Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah,” Noctis grinned. He stopped when Prompto looked at him with slight confusion. “I mean, I actually really like sweet things.”

“You really are five,” Prompto laughed. “A five year old doctor.”

“Whatever,” Noctis pouted a bit. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Sure,” Prompto rolled his eyes again. He was still nervous, but it was okay. Noctis was at least playing along. Grooms were normally terrible at wedding planning, but Prompto thought that as long as Noctis said yes to whatever Prompto wanted, it would be the easiest wedding to plan.

***

Each day that they met, it was fun. Luna would face time with them while they approved everything from place settings for the reception, the orchestra, and the DJ. Prompto got to show off his knowledge and intricacies of wedding planning while Noctis tried his best to seem interested. All they did though during the down time was talk. At the moment, they were cake testing. They managed to select a 7-tiered cake that would have some flowers on it. The monograms and the lighting chosen for it should look spectacular for the wedding. Prompto was particularly proud of the choice in cake. Luna gave her approval and just asked for the cake to have some chocolate and/or fruit present. So the compromise was that each tier would have a different flavor of cake. It was a good deal.

There was a lovely woman that was new assisting them today. Prompto usually worked with an older woman named Camille but she called out sick. This new woman (named Patricia), was really nice and brought out many different cakes to try. Prompto, usually, skipped out on eating the cakes. It was too many unnecessary calories. However, now he was curious about what Noctis liked exactly. 

“Try this one,” Noctis held out a plate for Prompto. It was a chocolate cake with coconut icing. Everything in Prompto’s mind was telling him to refuse but he took the cake. After one bite, Prompto swallowed and frowned at Noctis. He, in turn, started to laugh.

“Is everything okay?” Patricia asked. “We can get chocolate mousse frosting instead for the wedding.”

“It’s up to Noctis,” Prompto pointed to Noctis. He still had a grin on his face. 

“I just wanted to see him eat it,” Noctis laughed. “It didn’t taste very good either.”

“I’m so sorry,” Patricia seemed flustered.

“It’s okay,” Prompto waved his hands quickly. “The groom is just being a bit of a jerk.”

“Oh I see,” Patricia nodded. “Hmm…” Patricia rearranged the plates and found something more suitable for them. “Maybe something with vanilla and fruit might be more ideal for your wedding. When is your date again?”

Prompto gave the answer, it was May 1st. He did not seem too bothered by the question. Noctis, who had been a good mood for the past couple of days, stopped eating the cake. He looked at his phone and Prompto could tell that he had the calendar section open. 

“Wow,” Noctis said gloomily. “That’s not a lot of time.”

“Yeah,” Prompto ate the vanilla cake with fruits on the inside. It was his favorite out of the selection they had so far. “Pick a cake then.”

Noctis tapped his fingers on the table and looked around some more. Patricia, who Prompto liked, looked at both of them and seemed to... blush?

“Is something wrong?” Prompto asked her. Noctis kept eating some of the red velvet cake.

“I’m sorry,” Patricia rubbed the back of her head. “I just thought… that it was your wedding.” Patricia pointed at both of them. “I’m so sorry, that was my mistake. I am so embarrassed.”

Noctis stopped eating the cake he was eating and Prompto just rubbed his forehead together in shame. Prompto was so upset that a complete stranger saw what was going on between them. 

This was _the_ worst.

***

The statue garden was a favorite of Prompto’s because it was never used by most of his clients. On this particular day, it was clear outside and there was no one here. Just a few tourists that were taking selfies with the Ramus and Bahamut statues. 

Prompto liked this particular statue garden because of the sculpture of Shiva. He always suggested the statues for his clients with a more spectacular budget. Noctis was joining him today in full scrubs, as he didn’t have time to change before joining Prompto.

“After this,” Noctis said while walking through the gardens. “I’m going to sleep forever.”

“Sounds nice,” Prompto grinned. “This won’t take long. I just thought it would be good to have Shiva’s statue.” He pointed at her statue and Noctis looked at it curiously. “It would be a good for the entrance to where the ceremony is taking place. Especially since there was not a lot of landmarks there. It’ll make it easier for the guests to know where they are.”

“Right right,” Noctis circled the statue and smiled. He then looked at the statue of Ifrit that was a few feet away. “But, you have to admit that this one looks pretty amazing.”

“No,” Prompto sighed. “This is all wrong for a wedding.”

Ifrit’s face was in a scowl, totally different from the serene and calm nature of the Shiva statue.

“I’m just teasing you,” Noctis laughed. He leaned against the statue and matched the scowl that was on Ifrit’s face. 

“Wow,” Prompto teased. “Now you found your twin.”

“I know—”

Noctis must have leaned in too much because he and Ifrit’s statue, fell over the grass with a thud. Prompto yelled and tried to stop the fall but it was no use. Noctis looked surprised but he also laughed at his own clumsiness. Usually it was Prompto falling over things.

“Seriously?” Prompto huffed. He tried to push the statue back onto its base but it was difficult. _Especially_ since Noctis would not stop laughing.

“I’m sorry!” Noctis giggled. But he finally got on his knees and tried to push the statue back up. “These are not real marble...”

Prompto was so close to pushing up the statue but he could not get it to stand. They were both giggling too much and trying in vain to push. It was only when Prompto noticed a security guard approaching, that he made an effort to push harder. Noctis tried to wrap his arms around the statue and they both managed to stop laughing enough to push it back towards the base. 

They were both heaving and giggling. That was until Prompto noticed something impossible to ignore, was now missing on the Ifrit statue.

“Where’s his penis?” Prompto asked suddenly.

Noctis looked at his hand and started to laugh when he showed the fake-marble penis to Prompto.

“T-there it is!” Noctis shrieked with laughter. Prompto started to laugh as well. Even as the security guard did finally arrive and eyed the two wearily. 

With some help from superglue, Prompto managed to stick the penis back on. He felt like a middle-school kid laughing at a dumb joke. It felt nice to laugh like this with someone. Noctis eyed him with awe as Prompto meticulously put the penis back where it belonged. 

“You would think a God’s penis would be bigger,” Noctis mused.

Prompto laughed again but they both stopped laughing when he heard his phone ring. It was the sudden slap of a reality check. Whatever this feeling was, it was wrong and Prompto felt terrible. He felt like scum for feeling this way and the joy that was on Noctis’ face died the instant he said “Hello” to Luna.

What the fuck did Prompto do to deserve this?

 

***

Other than the cake and statue incidents, Noctis and Prompto ignored what was going on and what wasn’t going on between them. Prompto continued to avoid Noctis’ stares at him and he tried to make sure that the right officiant would be able to host the wedding the next day. 

Noctis also did not meet Prompto in the eye whenever they talked about the wedding. That changed on the day that Noctis met Prompto at the outdoor flower market. Noctis looked exhausted and Prompto was also tired by trying to keep track of what was still left to do. Since the wedding was fast approaching, it was crucial to make sure that everything was going according to schedule.

“Hey,” Noctis greeted Prompto. “How long is this going to take? This is my only real day off.”

“Hopefully not long,” Prompto nodded in Noctis’ direction. “I just want to make sure that Luna gets these particular ones for the wedding. This market is the best supplied one in the country.”

“Alright,” Noctis nodded. “It’s just that I had a bit of a tough case that I want to take a look at for work. I know I should probably take the day off, but I don’t want to.”

Prompto eyed Noctis and nodded. “Sure, this shouldn’t take long.” They began to walk together and Prompto wanted to ask why but Noctis spoke first.

“It’s this clinical trial I want to do,” Noctis began. “It’s complicated. But the results have been good on animals.”

“Oh really?” Prompto smiled. “That seems good.”

“Yeah,” Noctis stretched out his arms and sighed. “Well, I probably should do it on animals first. They are easier than people.”

“Your bedside manner does suck,” Prompto giggled. “Why are you having regrets now?”

“I actually,” Noctis paused and bit his lip. “Well… I actually did want to be a Vet for a while…”

“Why didn’t you then?” Prompto asked. He was curious after all. 

“I don’t know,” Noctis groaned. “It was easier to be a doctor I guess. Plus, I think my Dad would have said something if I became a Vet.”

“Well,” Prompto began thoughtfully. “I’ve had people make fun of me, but my Dad never made fun of me. He was just glad I found a job I liked.”

Noctis frowned at Prompto but he did not argue back. He instead looked at a flower that was hanging near a stand where they were. 

“What about lilies?” Noctis pointed at the white flowers that were beautiful, Prompto thought.

“Those are usually used for funerals,” Prompto frowned. 

“Oh,” Noctis scratched his head but had a small smile on his face. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s okay,” Prompto waved it off and instead pointed at some orchids. “Those would probably be better to compliment the sylleblossoms...”

Prompto, saw _him_ suddenly. 

The first great asshole that came into his life. And he had a fucking pregnant wife now. At the same place Prompto and the hot bastard were.

What the fuck?

“What are you doing?” Noctis asked suddenly. Prompto immediately tried to find someplace to hide. There was, of course, no place to hide.

So Prompto tried to hide behind some boxes that were filled with daisies. Noctis continued to watch him and it looked like he wanted to laugh but he didn’t. Prompto just assumed that Noctis finally noticed the horrified expression on his face, because Noctis said nothing. Prompto noticed that the asshole and his very pregnant wife were now heading in their direction. With absolutely no amount of grace, Prompto knocked over the box of daisies and nearly sprinted towards a box of hydrangeas before falling again. 

“Prompto stop,” Noctis said quietly. “You are being ridiculous.”

“Shut up!” Prompto yelled. “Hide me dummy!”

“Why?”

“My ex-fiancé is here!”

Noctis looked stunned and looked at Prompto sadly. “What?”

“Don’t look!” Prompto whined. “He’ll see me!”

“Okay then let’s go,” Noctis replied. “Just hide behind me.”

Prompto got up swiftly and apologized to a florist that did not look happy. It was too late though, now the asshole was coming right towards Prompto. He literally could not hide. Prompto hated himself more than he ever thought was possible. When Prompto would look back on this moment, it was definitely in the top ten list of the worst things that had ever happened to him. 

“Hey,” the asshole said. His asshole wife also waved nervously at Prompto. “Prompto, how are you?”

Prompto, to his credit, quickly brushed aside his bangs and patted down his pants. Next he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When Prompto opened his eyes, Noctis was right next to him and eyed him fearfully.

“Hello,” Prompto said cooly. He felt his blood pressure rising. “How are you two?”

“Good,” the asshole said. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Prompto stared at Noctis who already had his right hand outstretched. 

“I’m Doctor Noctis Caelum,” Noctis said quietly. He shook the asshole’s hand and the asshole wife’s hand too. “How do you know Prompto?”

“I’ll tell you how Noctis,” Prompto had enough. He was in a pool of rage. He did not care that there were other people looking at him because he raised his voice. It did not matter. Prompto wanted the message to be clear to Noctis most of all. Because he had been through enough. All the frustration over the past three weeks had been terrible. It sucked.

“I was in the middle of my rehearsal dinner. I really wanted to do a last minute thing with the seating arrangements at my wedding. Then I go out to my car.” Prompto pointed at both of them. “And then I see these two. In my car. Just fucking to their hearts content.”

The two assholes stared at Prompto and looked embarrassed as well. At least Prompto said it loud enough that the florists looked at the asshole couple shamefully.

“Did I get everything?” Prompto said in a huff.

Prompto was shaking but Noctis darted his eyes between both parties. Slowly, the two assholes proceeded to walk backwards and away from them. Prompto had never been so upset in his life. He was usually optimistic but even this was too much for him to take. If Prompto knew that he would be thirty and pining over a man that was going to be married, his younger self would have been embarrassed by his actions. At the moment however, logic and reason were nowhere near the same time zone that contained Prompto. When Prompto finally managed to calm down, he looked at Noctis.

Noctis managed to look at Prompto and there was a new look on his face that Prompto had not seen before. It looked like a cross between pity and…

Nope it was not that look, Prompto thought.

“I’m so sorry Prompto,” Noctis said nervously. “I didn’t know....”

“I want to get drunk,” Prompto said quickly. “If you are okay with orchids and gardenias, I’ll put the order in. But I’m going to find the nearest bar and get plastered.”

Noctis stared at him and then looked at his watch. He looked around and then back at Prompto. The expression on his face mirrored the one Prompto saw on the night they saw the movies together.

This was a terrible idea. And Prompto was scum but he did not care at all. 

“I’ll join you,” Noctis said with a nod.

“Fantastic,” Prompto said triumphantly. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN!!!
> 
> I revised my outline so I hope that it is good. This is going to be a doozy.
> 
> If you want to yell at me, I am on twitter full-time @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche!


	6. Wild Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then the angst happened...

“Y-you know what,” Prompto slurred. They were at the bar and Prompto was pretty sure this was either drink four or five. He was not entirely sure and he did not care at the moment. “I sh-should have known th-that they were f-fucking…”

Noctis was next to him and drinking rum and coke. Prompto had two shots to start with. But that was two hours ago and they were still going at it. Maybe he was drinking number eight? 

“She was too nice,” Prompto waved his drink in Noctis’ direction. Noctis, to his credit, was paying attention and nodding in agreement at everything that Prompto told him. “I asked her to make th-the invitations.” Prompto paused to burp. “And sh-she d-did it even th-though it was a lot of work.”

“Right right,” Noctis hummed. 

“And,” Prompto put his cup down and tried to do it gracefully. Except he didn’t. Noctis grabbed a napkin and soaked up the spots that were on the bar. 

“And she _always_ ,” Prompto hissed. “She _always_ went w-with him to go do th-things together. I w-was such a-an idiot.”

“No you weren’t,” Noctis said plainly. “They decided to cheat. So it wasn’t your fault.”

Prompto had heard that plenty of times. He should not have gotten married that young either way. That’s what most twenty-three year olds probably thought when they found “the one.” Prompto was one of those twenty-three year olds. He chose to ignore the warning signs. Prompto would ask who his ex was texting and he did not reply. The phone calls that lasted for hours were relegated to one word answers between the two of them by the third year they were together. Prompto thought that getting married was the solution and they both went through the motions. It was easier to do that than to disappoint everyone. 

It was strange when Prompto did call off the wedding. Cindy managed to throw a party for Prompto the day the wedding was supposed to happen. She had the presence of mind to make sure to get all of the asshole’s clothes out of the apartment and put them in garbage bags in the hallway outside the apartment. Aranea, who did not know him very well at the time, also managed to suggest that Prompto drain the bank account and she gave him time off. She also managed to give him her “come to Bahamut” talk which made Prompto a little less miserable. 

“You’ll meet someone much better kid,” Aranea began.

Prompto, as much as he was hurting, had fun on the day that his wedding was supposed to take place. His father managed to make jokes about how much the Asshole’s cooking sucked. There were also jokes about how the Asshole was no good. His father told Prompto that if both of his legs worked, that asshole would be sorry. It was freeing in a way Prompto did not think was possible. People were there for him despite seeing him at one of the low points of his life. They had stuck by him and he was grateful for it.

So he was grateful that Noctis reiterated it again. It really wasn’t his fault at all. It was the Asshole’s fault.

At the moment however, it did not help that he still felt awful. The Asshole’s wife looked stunning even though she looked very pregnant. Which was not fair at all. Prompto continued to drink and continued to complain to Noctis. Noctis, to his credit, just listened to Prompto and that was fine. There was a moment, when Prompto hesitated slightly after talking so much about his non-wedding party with Noctis. Noctis was close to his face and Prompto could feel Noctis’ legs bumping into his own. Prompto did his best to scoot the bar stool over and Noctis did not touch him anymore. 

Noctis was being _way_ too nice to him. Something must be wrong…

Somewhere between Prompto taking another shot of rum, he realized something. He had left his car at work, which was fine. But he had no way to get back to his apartment safely. Prompto had no clue how to get back to his apartment.

“I d-don’t know how to g-get back to my a-apartment,” Prompto slurred.

“Is it far?” Noctis asked. “I can call an uber for you?”

“Where are we?” Prompto hummed.

“At a bar?” Noctis hesitated. “It’s near the Pine district.”

Prompto smiled. “Oh good! I live on 75th street.”

“Then I’ll walk you back,” Noctis offered. “It’s about two blocks from here.”

Prompto was way too drunk to refuse that kind of offer. Especially since Noctis was being so kind, for some reason. Noctis paid off the tab that they accumulated for the night. Once that was done, Prompto tried to stand up. For some strange reason, he could not move his legs very well. So at least Noctis was being nice enough to offer his shoulder while they both walked out.

Prompto was still too drunk to understand anything, but maybe that was the point?

***

The city was usually pretty flat, however the Pine District was unusually hilly. Prompto’s apartment was near the top of a particularly gravely hill. It was located in one of the nicer neighborhoods in the city, but it was nothing compared to the luxury apartments in the downtown area. Still, he stook pride in the fact that his apartment was immaculately clean and Prompto was glad that the laundry was all done. There were also the stacks of post-its his father would leave occasionally. The ones that had Nyx’s number (which Prompto still had not put into his phone), were now in the trash that needed to be carried out. None of the chores that Prompto wanted to get done, were going to get done however. He was _so_ drunk. 

“Why?” Noctis asked Prompto.

When did Prompto fall asleep?

“Hmm,” Prompto murmured. He was blinking and had no idea what was going on. When he finally had the presence of mind to try and open his eyes, he realized a few things.

The first thing was that it was dark. There were some streetlights that were way too bright for Prompto’s eyes. And he was being rocked in some weird way.

“Don’t do that,” Noctis sighed.

“Do what?” Prompto huffed. He pressed his face in closer and finally realized what was going on. Noctis, had Prompto on top of both of his shoulders, in a fireman's lift. Prompto’s world was sideways, looking at the street. He adjusted himself and realized that Noctis’ right hand was wrapped around his thigh and absurdly close to his butt. The other hand was on Prompto’s right arm, secured tightly. 

“Move too much,” Noctis huffed. He sounded tired but at least Prompto knew Noctis was close enough to his apartment. 

“Why are you carrying me?” Prompto asked. He felt stupid and he wanted to know why. His brain was just not realizing the truth of it all. The truth was that he was clumsy and probably an idiot that fell right as they exited the bar.

“You kept falling,” Noctis grunted. “So... I decided this was easier.”

“But... how do you know where I live?” Prompto asked. He tried to move his head so that he could see the world correctly, but his head was hurting too much. 

“You told me seven times,” Noctis stopped and finally they were there. “You’re so weird. You have your addressed memorized Prompto.” Noctis finally stopped. “Are you okay to stand up?”

“Absolutely!” Prompto wanted to say but also did not want Noctis to let go of him. It was time to decide that, once and for all, Prompto was absolutely okay to stand up.

“I am fine!” Prompto giggled.

This meant that when Noctis did put Prompto down, he stumbled a bit. The entryway to the apartment was on the left side of the pavement. Prompto took a deep breath and took one step forward. Then he took two steps back and proceeded to fall unceremoniously into a bush that was on the right side of the pavement.

“Prompto!” Noctis yelled. Prompto started to laugh. Of course this would happen to him.

“Noct,” Prompto whined. “I think I fell.”

“You idiot,” Noctis laughed. “Come on, I’ll help you get in.”

“I f-forgot to mention,” Prompto grinned. He put his arms up as Noctis grabbed Prompto. “That I am a b-bit of a lightweight.” Prompto hummed in amusement and Noctis sounded annoyed.

“You looked fine to me,” Noctis said gloomily. “Do you drink often?”

“No,” Prompto hummed. “Only when I get mad.”

“Right right,” Noctis managed to get both of them to the gate. Prompto waved to the security guard that was patrolling the building. They got lucky, usually he was gone by ten at night. Which meant that at least Prompto had a small amount of luck still with him. The security guard being there was the only good thing that happened to him that day. 

“Thank you Sir,” Prompto tried to bow his head but stopped immediately. The motions were a bit too much. “I appreciate it.”

The security guard nodded at both of them as Noctis helped Prompto walk towards the elevator. 

***

“Your apartment is so clean,” Noctis said finally when they were a bit settled in. Prompto was currently sprawled on the couch. Noctis managed to put some cushions to support Prompto’s back and found some gatorade in the fridge for Prompto to drink. “I usually hire a maid to do mine. I just kind of let everything pile up.”

“I don’t have one,” Prompto grinned. Noctis was sitting on a chair near the couch. He moved it so that Noctis had a better angle to look at Prompto clearly. “The fact that you have one does not surprise me at all.”

“Yeah,” Noctis scratched the back of his head and frowned. 

“So,” Prompto began. He straightened himself up some more. “Did you grow up rich?”

“Yeah,” Noctis smiled. “Something like that.”

“A trust-fund kid,” Prompto hummed.

“Yup.”

“You’re lucky.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Look,” Prompto held up a hand and sipped a bit more on his gatorade. “ _I_ am planning your wedding. You are _very_ lucky.”

“I’m not lucky,” Noctis said in a huff. Now his arms were crossed and he looked upset again.

“Okay then you’re not lucky,” Prompto said carefully. “You are going to marry the nicest lady I have ever worked with. I just thought that would be a lucky thing.”

Noctis frowned as an answer and Prompto thought that would be a good place to ask him to leave. There was no reason for Noctis to be here but Prompto was glad that the hot bastard doctor walked him home. 

“Have you ever been in love before?” Noctis asked quietly.

“You’re Dad,” Prompto began slowly. “And your future mother in law are spending ten million dollars on this wedding. You _better_ be in love with Luna.”

“Have you been in love before?” Noctis asked again. 

Prompto looked at Noctis and quickly looked away. He could not have this conversation while still being slightly drunk. The alcohol was wearing off but Prompto knew better than to push it anymore.

“Well,” Prompto said slowly. “Love is… well I would like to be in love. But I have this really bad thing of attracting unattainable men. So I think next time I will date a woman. Does Luna have a sister? Or a cousin that would be...”

Noctis looked upset but Prompto did not care. He had been hurt too much in the past and this was not going to be any different. If he just let Noctis know that, then he should be fine. 

“Her brother hates me,” Noctis said gloomily. “I don’t even know if her Mom likes me anymore. I work a lot of hours and so does she. It was easier in college.”

Prompto rolled his eyes but he _supposed_ he could listen to Noctis talk about their little love story.

“We were childhood friends,” Noctis began thoughtfully. “And she was just really easy to talk to all the time. And I guess it was just a given that we were going to date. Then we managed to get into the same college and it was just... easy? I guess.” He paused. “And it was like that for a long time. Then she started to do her job and I did mine. It’s harder now. Even when we have days off, I can’t talk to her about work.”

“Why not?” Prompto asked.

“Well,” Noctis finally looked at Prompto. “She thinks that I’m happy. Because I just always thought I’d be a doctor. My Dad wanted me to do the business but I hated that shit. Being a doctor was still prestigious I guess? So I just became a doctor. So now he talks about how much he loves that about me. And I guess it’s the same thing as Luna. I thought I really liked being a doctor but I don’t even know if that’s what I want anymore.”

Prompto was upset now and he had less of a filter so he continued to listen, but his patience was thinning.

“I don’t know,” Noctis sighed. “I don’t know why I am telling you this either.”

“So you’re willing to spend ten million dollars to find out if you’re making a mistake?” Prompto asked sarcastically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Noctis snapped back.

“It means,” Prompto turned over but was still not entirely sober. He wanted to turn on his stomach, but he did so _very_ slowly. “It means that marriage is important! I already know when most marriages are going to end. I really need to tell Luna to not pick “I Honestly Love You” because that is the worst song to have the first dance to.”

Noctis looked dumbstruck but Prompto still continued to babble on.

“Hell,” Prompto sighed. “You should at least act like you care about this wedding. She is _so_ excited to marry you. And here you are. With me. In my dumb apartment. This was your day off right?”

“Yeah,” Noctis began to blush but Prompto started to sit up properly on the couch. “So what?”

“Did you even talk to her today?” Prompto asked. He already knew what the answer was.

There was a long pause before Noctis answered. “... No.”

“Look Noct,” Prompto ran his hands through his hair. “At least, _try_. Maybe do couple’s therapy or delay this wedding. It’s not like I haven’t done that before for other couples. But this is not fair to her at all. And _you_ know it.”

Noctis frowned and looked away from Prompto. 

“Please?” Prompto asked. “Figure out what you want. What makes you happy, you know? Maybe start from there and then at least you can salvage this whole thing.”

Noctis got up from his chair and looked around the apartment. Prompto looked at him and tried to figure out what his next move was. Noctis instead looked out the window and looked back at Prompto. 

“I barely know you,” Noctis began. He turned around and smiled at Prompto. He tried to remember exactly how many drinks Noctis had, but it was a sizeable amount as well. They were both idiots.

“Noct,” Prompto raised his hand and tried to wave it around but he couldn’t because now Noctis was in front of Prompto’s couch and looking him right in the eye. “Please…”

“Look I barely know you,” Noctis began. “But these past couple of weeks have been really fun. And I know it wasn’t a date when we went to the park but I guess it was a date, wasn’t it?”

“Noct.”

“It _was_ , wasn’t _it_?”

Prompto shook his head and refused to look at Noctis. 

“Maybe we were supposed to meet earlier?” Noctis frowned. “I don’t know, but I can’t help but think that I am making a huge mistake.”

“Noct.”

“When I come back after meeting you, I can still smell your cologne on my scrubs. It just feels nice, you know?”

 _Oh no_.

“Noct,” Prompto waved his hands. “Think about this. _We can’t do this_.”

“I don’t even know the name of your Dad.”

“His name is Cor.”

“Okay,” Noctis smiled. “I just feel like, this is easier. You don’t sugarcoat things for me like my friends do. And I like that.”

“Noct… _we can’t do this._ ”

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said finally. “I’ll ask her. For more time. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Prompto blinked back at Noctis. “... do that then…”

They were now too close to one another. Somehow, Prompto’s brain was screaming for him to push Noctis away despite all the alcohol he had earlier. Even so, he was still drunk enough to lean into Noctis touching his face and pushing the strands of blonde hair away from his forehead. Prompto could feel Noctis’ breaths against his own lips. But then, Prompto raised one hand and put it over Noctis’ mouth. Noctis closed his eyes and backed away. 

This could absolutely not happen at all. Even if Prompto, in the deepest place in his heart, knew that Noctis was right. They _should_ have met much earlier. It felt ten million dollars too late to back out of whatever this was between them. 

Prompto took a deep breath. “Please leave.” 

“I’m sorry,” Noctis bowed his head and got up. “I shouldn’t have…”

“Give me your tux measurements,” Prompto said firmly. “Other than that... I really don’t need anything from you.”

It stung and Prompto could cry about it later, but Luna was too good for this bullshit. Prompto wanted to believe that he was too good for this too, but Noctis was absolutely right. That night in the park was a date. It was Prompto’s best first date he had, in all honesty. The days that they had spent planning the wedding were great because Noctis looked like he was having fun and letting loose. The times that Noctis was present around anyone else, he looked sullen and lost. Prompto _knew_ that maybe other people had noticed it to. _Maybe_ Luna noticed it as well. Prompto could never forgive himself if he became his Asshole Ex. So he watched Noctis shuffle out unceremoniously out the door. Prompto managed to quickly walk towards the door to lock it. He looked at his apartment and slid down in front of the door. With his back against the door, he began to cry. 

It was _absolutely_ not fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY!!! I usually know that romcoms are supposed to be humorous, but it was time for the angst of the main couple. Also, no one worry about Luna! She is fine and she will survive this mess. Also, just as an advanced warning, I will be going to Japan and I will be out of town starting next Wednesday. So I will try to get as much as I can done. If there is a cliffhanger, I apologize, but at least you know why!
> 
> If you want to yell at me, I am on twitter full-time @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche!


	7. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto has conversations with all the important people in the hot bastard doctor's life...

It had been a week since they almost kissed again. Prompto did not talk about what happened in his apartment with anyone. He was not lying when he said that he didn’t need the hot bastard doctor anymore. 

He cried about it that night. Then he could not sleep at all. And then, right when his alarm rang, he felt different. It was just like a band aid pulling on a fresh wound. He just had to rip it off and move on. So Prompto got up and ran for five miles and came back earlier than usual. Then Prompto proceeded to drink every cup of coffee and every bottle of gatorade he could find. He was surprisingly not hungover. Or maybe he was just heartbroken and Prompto could not differentiate between the two anymore. 

It went on like that on clockwork. Prompto continued to plan the wedding and finalize the contract between the two parents. It was not an awkward conversation... for the most part anyways. He had not seen Luna in a month and she looked as radiant as ever. Sylva was giggling but Prompto assumed she had some wine for lunch. Prompto tried his hardest not to look at Regis but he still managed to nod politely at the man. Thank the Gods the hot bastard doctor was not there. He was apparently doing some type of fancy surgery. Prompto was so grateful it was just these three. If the hot bastard doctor was here, Prompto was not sure how he would have reacted.

“I have everything here finalized,” Prompto pushed the contract towards the parents. Regis looked through it carefully and Prompto awaited any questions. “It just needs signatures for the final costs. It could change, but the contract here reflects that.”

“I see,” Sylva looked over the shoulder of Regis and read it through.

“I’m glad that everything is coming together,” Luna began. “I know we still have so much to do…”

“Yes,” Regis mumbled. He was still going through the rest of the contract. “Well at least my son helped you right?”

Dammit. “Yes he did,” Prompto tried made sure to grin widely. “He was _so_ helpful. Almost a little _too_ helpful.” He paused and realized his error and tried to backtrack. “Ummm.... what I _mean_ ummm… is that he had a lot of opinions on things that weren’t really important. But Luna was there to help me with everything afterwards.” Prompto sighed and continued to grin. 

Well, at least Luna seemed to buy his stupid comments. 

“Actually I’m glad to be back,” Luna frowned. “Noct seems really distant lately.” Luna looked at Regis who stopped reading the contract to look at her. “I don’t know if you noticed.” 

Prompto felt his smile beginning to falter. He also felt oddly hot in his suit.

“I have actually,” Regis said pensively. “I think he is just getting cold feet.”

“Maybe,” Luna sighed. “I’ll have a chat with him.”

“Let me actually,” Regis began. “Besides, I need to discuss what he wants for his Bachelor Party.”

Luna giggled and Prompto felt he wanted to rip his face off. He still smiled though!

“Of course,” Luna wiped away the bangs from her forehead and smiled at Prompto. “The wedding dress is this week too. I can’t wait!”

“Me neither,” Prompto said with as much pep as he could muster. “It’ll be great!”

Prompto could not help but notice Regis looking at him suspiciously but Prompto focused on Slyva and Luna who looked ecstatic to discuss what type of fit they wanted for Luna’s dress.

***

Usually, it was difficult to get a famous designer to provide a dress let alone a sketch for any of Prompto’s clients. It was a miracle, however, that Prompto managed to get _three_ famous designers to sketch some dresses for Luna. All three were eager to be the ones to dress Luna for the wedding. When word got out that those designers were providing sketches, other designers came to Prompto and asked whether or not she wanted her entire bridal party in the same designer outfits. The phone would not stop ringing which made Prompto worry about missing appointments or other deadlines that he needed to make.

Prompto was overwhelmed, but thankfully, Luna was poised and knew that the three Prompto picked here her favorites. They did not have much time, but Prompto managed to go with Luna to two designers in one day. Prompto did not know too much about women’s fashion, but he had a good time at the salons. He tried to take in as much information as he could. This could help a future client one day, so he might as well take some notes. The first day was good but Prompto knew by instinct that Luna did not enjoy the first two designers. 

“Let’s see tomorrow,” Luna had said.

The next day, they went to Vivienne Westwood’s Salon. It was beautiful inside and it smelled faintly of roses and sometimes it was a lilac scent. Prompto was amazed by the whole salon. It was brightly lit and every attendant was so helpful. They even offered champagne, which Prompto only drank one glass of. He had to for the experience of it.

They already had a dress similar to the one sketched for Luna but with a few differences in the bodice and the hemline at the back of the dress. So that sketch was given to Luna and she made her way to the dressing room to try it on. Ravus and Sylva were there. They were both talking to one another and Prompto did not catch much of what was being said. So he chose to ignore them. He was making sure that other things such as the invitations, the party favors and the day-of-wedding timeline were taken care of. 

“He has been acting even _more_ absurd as of late,” Ravus grumbled. 

“I asked Regis to speak with him to,” Sylva drawled as she took another sip of champagne. “He was being awfully cross with us last night as well.”

“He should at least act as though he wants to marry her,” Ravus rolled his eyes. “Especially with how much is being spent on this.”

Prompto felt his heart flutter but for all the wrong reasons. Maybe the hot bastard doctor was taking his advice? But no. No no no no no…. _no_. He pushed that thought out of his mind as Luna came in with a dress that would look almost like the one she picked. It was a silk dress with cut outs at the shoulders and a bodice that looked almost like a flower blooming. It was stunning and Prompto thought she looked beautiful.

“Oh my,” Sylva sighed. “You look _wonderful_ Luna.”

“I like this more than the ones yesterday,” Ravus nodded. He looked oddly emotional for someone that looked so upset less than a minute ago. At least, that is what Prompto thought.

“You really like it?” Luna asked the three of them. Prompto nodded and thought that it was a good choice. The ones yesterday were not as extravagant or quite as show-stopping. So this was the best choice. “I actually think this one might be it.”

“Absolutely,” Sylva now was wiping away tears from her eyes and looked upon her daughter with pride. “This one has my approval.”

“Okay good,” Luna beamed at all of them and stepped off of the platform in the middle of the hall. “Umm Prompto…”

Prompto, who began to take notes on the reception menu looked up in surprise. “... Yes?”

“Could I speak with you for a second?” Luna smiled at him.

Prompto could feel all the blood getting sucked out of his body. What did she know? Did she know anything? Did Noctis finally talk to her? He didn’t know but he stood up regardless. Sylva and Ravus did not think anything was amiss and kept talking to one another. All Prompto could do was follow Luna into the back of the salon. The attendant looked surprised to see Prompto in the back as well, but she left when Luna asked for some privacy. Once the door to the fitting room was shut, Luna checked to see if anyone else was inside. 

When the coast was clear, Luna looked at Prompto, but she looked sad. 

“Is something wrong?” Prompto asked carefully. “There are other dress designers. I know some brides are afraid to go against the wishes of their family—”

“—It’s not that,” Luna waved her hand. “I’m just… I need someone objective to talk to about this.”

Prompto tried to relax but that was difficult. What if Luna was going to slap him and tell him that he was being unprofessional? Or something like that? Prompto had watched too many prime time soap operas and thought of the worst case scenario.

“Look Luna,” Prompto began. “I… look I am probably not the best person to be objective—”

“—I don’t know if I want to marry Noctis,” Luna said quickly. She then laughed and put a hand on her forehead. “Wow… I actually said it out loud.”

What?

Wait?!?!

 _No_.

Prompto’s eyes flew open and he could not speak at all. He just looked at Luna who looked relieved. 

“Is that cold feet?” Luna asked. “I just ask because you have been doing this for a long time. I don’t know if this is normal?”

Prompto tried to think about it. There were a few brides and grooms that confided in him. But usually they were about _anything_ other than this question. Most of them said that they didn’t like the way their groom ate their food. Or the bride was being unreasonable about the budget. Usually, they would ask this question on the day of the wedding. Not months in advance like this. So Prompto did not know what to say or think.

“I’m sorry,” Luna sighed. “I am just not sure. You know… I was thinking about it more when I came back on the plane. I saw this couple with their kids and they looked _really_ happy. They looked comfortable and tired. _But_ they still looked in love. You know?”

Prompto nodded even though he had never been truly in love before.

“And I just thought,” Luna smiled sadly. “I don’t know if that love is still there with me and Noctis. It was so wonderful those first few years. But now I just feel so tired. I asked him to marry me five years ago and he said he wasn’t ready. It was… _difficult_ , but I accepted it. You can’t force marriage. Even so, I feel as though I am doing that now.”

Prompto thought that this was the worst cosmic joke in the world. He was in absolute disbelief. Despite that, there were still a few things that had not changed. The date was still May 1st. If it had changed, there would have been some word by now that it was different. Now Luna had doubts, but she did not ask Prompto to change the date. It was still set in stone and as much as Prompto wanted to suggest it, it was ultimately not his call. All Luna had told him was that she was not sure if she was still in love with… the hot bastard doctor. So Prompto did what he did best, he gave his go-to speech to those brides and grooms with cold feet on the day of their weddings. If either of them needed the speech again on May 1st, he could tweak it maybe?

“I don’t know Noctis that well,” Prompto began. He felt like such a fake, but he was doing his job. He loved his job more than anything else. And this wedding was going to happen. “But I spent a lot of time with him in the past month. Each time I was with him, he always said how lucky he was to have you. He’d say to me, ‘I can’t believe she picked me...’”

Luna smiled and it was a genuine smile, so Prompto continued.

“You will make him the luckiest man in the world,” Prompto knew he was not lying about that line. It was absolutely true and he could feel his own heart break at saying it out loud. “You are elegant and timeless, and the greatest gift you can give Noctis is your love.”

Luna giggled and straightened up a bit. She looked less sad and more determined. She eyed Prompto and nodded at him repeatedly.

“Thank you,” Luna took a deep breath. “I was not sure.”

“No problem,” Prompto waved his hand awkwardly. “So about this dress…”

Luna’s eyes fluttered open and she looked down at her body. “I do _love_ this dress. With the changes, I am sure it will look immaculate.”

“I’ll make sure it does,” Prompto nodded. 

Luna gave Prompto a pat on the back and walked with him back to the main hall. Sylva was still there and she now had a new glass of champagne while Ravus looked disgruntled. When they both saw Prompto and Luna return they smiled at the future bride. 

Prompto wondered if they _knew_ the real truth already. He was not going to be the one to reveal it. The person with _that_ job would have to be the hot bastard doctor.

***

“So you haven’t gone on the date yet,” his father hummed. They were playing scrabble again. Prompto was not looking at his father but he knew that he still owed Nyx a date. Nyx, to his credit, stayed away from Prompto. Which was good because Prompto did not think he was in the best headspace to go on any date with anyone at the moment.

“I have not,” Prompto said gloomily.

“You should,” his father said softly. “You know… I know you get sick of hearing me talk about the war.”

Oh crap, Prompto thought.

“Dad please.”

“No listen,” his Dad put his pieces down and looked at Prompto. “I know how much you want to get married and settle down. When you fall in love, you stay in love Prompto.”

Prompto groaned but his father was absolutely right.

“I know that it was hard on you,” Cor said sadly. “I know that me coming back like this…” Cor pointed at his legs that were now metal. “I know it was hard on you… And I worry only because you never know how much time you have left to do anything in the world.”

“Dad please,” Prompto warned. “Stop getting so morbid. I want to marry someone that loves me and doesn’t treat me like garbage.”

“I know,” Cor sighed. “I know… _I know_. I just want to see you do it. If it happens next month or next year, I don’t care Prompto. But I think it would be a great wedding toast. Your old man introduced you to your future husband.”

“That sounds like a very obscure kink,” Prompto laughed but so did his Dad. “Sorry I know I interrupted your dad speech.”

“It’s okay,” his father sighed. “I just want you to be happy Prompto. And I know you love your job and all, but you have been looking really sad lately. At least give Nyx a call and go on a date. If it’s terrible, then I’ll stop talking about him.”

Prompto sighed but at least his father’s heart was in the right place. He had been miserable recently. He still did not tell anyone, even Cindy, what had happened. Prompto felt lost but it was his own fault. He should have made a better decision that night than to let things escalate so fast with the hot bastard doctor.

“Okay dad,” Prompto took a deep breath and sighed. “I’ll call him when I get home.”

“Excellent!” his father beamed at him. “Now that my dad speech is over, I can kick your ass at scrabble.

“I don’t think so,” Prompto hummed. “I have a word with an ‘X’ in it and you are going to lose badly soon…”

***

They were supposed to go bowling after they ate their dinner. Prompto had not been bowling since high school and it seemed like such a stupid date. But he was doing this for “fun”, Prompto supposed. The dinner was great. They went to a more upscale and bougie diner in the downtown area. Prompto had been working all day while ordering party favors for the wedding. He did not have time to eat lunch. So eating a huge burger with garlic fries sounded heavenly. 

Nyx did most of the talking during their meal. He talked about where he was from (Galahd) and how much he loved going out with his high school friends. They were apparently all still did karaoke nights and had fun with one another which Prompto thought was weird. He was awkward in high school and it was generally not the best experience for Prompto. To hear Nyx talk about it like it was the greatest time of his life was bizarre. Nyx was also apparently the high school football, basketball and baseball captain for each team. Prompto had no idea what to say to that but he just laughed.

“Let me guess,” Prompto was circling the straw that was in his diet coke. “Were you also prom king?”

Nyx grinned. “How did you know?”

“It was a very hard guess to make,” Prompto drawled.

Nyx started to laugh but it was a nice one. So Prompto smiled.

“I was weird,” Prompto sighed. “I hung around the art room during lunch. It smelled bad. But I mostly just did that.”

“Oh you were one of _those_ ,” Nyx grinned. “Did you wear all black.”

“Of course,” Prompto yawned. “Actually no, I went to a school with uniforms. But I usually just kept to myself. I was… um... acquaintances with a guy that liked to draw anime girls getting their clothes removed by tentacles.”

Nyx boomed with laughter and some patrons of the restaurant looked at their table. Prompto told him to quiet down but Nyx had to most obnoxious laugh that Prompto had ever heard in his life. No wonder his dad _liked_ him.

“Any other weirdos?” Nyx asked.

“Not that I can remember,” Prompto frowned. “I finally made friends with my co-worker Cindy in college. She’s my best friend, but yeah… I didn’t really talk to anyone in high school. I was still kinda fat and my dad was sick so it was not the best time for me.”

“Oh yeah,” Nyx took another bite of his meal and looked at Prompto. “My old man went to the war too.”

“Oh really?” Prompto asked. That was a surprising detail. No wonder Nyx and his dad got along so well.

“Yeah,” Nyx scratched the back of his head. “I mean, I didn’t like it either but it was so good that he came home. I always thought that he wasn’t going to. It was after that summer at the beach when the way started. That’s when he left.”

Prompto nibbled on his fries and felt oddly nostalgic. “Yeah… what else did my Dad tell you about me?”

“Nothing really,” Nyx frowned. “He just mentioned that you are a successful wedding planner. And I was kind of weirded out by that. And that you were very single. He seemed to say that a lot.”

“You would think he would find someone to date for himself,” Prompto frowned. “I can go on dates…”

“Uh huh,” Nyx smiled. “How many dates did you go on since that weekend at the vineyard?”

Prompto rolled his eyes and did not lie about his success rate. “None.”

“See,” Nyx chuckled. “I just thought I’d ask. It’s hard to find someone that is single and not crazy in this city.”

“I am crazy though,” Prompto said slowly. “You kind of have to be to plan weddings.”

“I think you are crazy to put up with those people,” Nyx offered. “But you? Naw, you seem normal. Which is why I was asking about you. Plus your Dad says you run a lot. So maybe next time we can go to the gym as a date.”

Prompto groaned. “I don’t know about a next time. Plus I like to go first thing in the morning.”

“So do I?” Nyx drawled. “Any other excuses?”

Prompto looked at the man in front of him and really thought about it. Objectively, yes, maybe Nyx was handsome. And he had a job with insurance and a 401K with stock options. He smelled nice when he tried to hug Prompto at the entrance of the restaurant. They were having their first conversation that did involve something of substance. Nyx managed to let Prompto complain about his day and Nyx did not think he was crazy. Prompto was not crazy but he somehow thought that he was still crazy because, even though it was a decent first date… Nyx still did not know everything about Prompto.

Nyx did not know about the current wedding and the clients that were driving him a bit crazy. He didn’t really know that Luna was having cold feet too. He also didn’t know that maybe… just _maybe_ in the seconds before Prompto could finally go to sleep, he still thought about the hot bastard doctor.

That drove Prompto crazy because even though Nyx was good on paper and his father was right to make Prompto go on a date with Nyx, he could not stop thinking about the hot bastard doctor. Maybe if Prompto had met Nyx a year ago, they would have went on a few dates and that would have been the end of that. But Prompto could not look at Nyx and honestly say that he felt anything romantic towards Nyx.

Prompto was in love with Noctis.

And that was _crazy_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished packing for Japan so I am going to try and write as much as possible for you guys. If I plan this accordingly, I might be able to leave it at the cliffhanger I want to leave it on. So let's pray that I can make that happen. I also went to AX which was fabulous except for those damn lines. But it was great regardless!
> 
> If you want to yell at me or hear me rant about international traveling, I am on twitter full-time @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche!


	8. Take Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now, for the male lead to take center stage...

Noctis tapped the champagne glass until everyone in the room was silent. During the practical exam for medical school, he almost failed it. Because he was so terrible with his bedside manner. “Speaks too softly, must be confident in diagnosis.” That was the biggest critique, even though everything else Noctis did was correct. It was the thing that hindered him the most. His bedside manner made everything about the job uncomfortable. When he had to tell family and friends what was going on, he was not forceful. He did not feel confident. He just flubbed over what was said and even though he _knew_ what was wrong, he was never sure what to say. When families cried and begged him to do more to save their son, daughter, father or whoever it was, Noctis just nodded and said he would do his best. 

His best was not enough, because now he was here, in a room filled with at least 100 people. The groom should say something impactful during the rehearsal dinner. At least that was what Ignis and Gladio had told him. So he found something online and filled in the rest. The notecards were in his right hand while the microphone was in his left. His throat was dry but he hoped his speech was passable.

“I want to start by saying thank you,” Noctis began slowly. “I cannot thank my Dad and Sylva enough for giving us this wonderful week here in Gauldin.” Noctis waited for the surge of claps to die down. “So, this is the part where I tell you all how much Luna means to me. And she means alot to me. I don’t think I could have survived medical school if she wasn’t there with me.” Noctis looked at Luna, who looked amazing in this light blue gown that shined brightly even in the dim lighting. “I want to thank her for being here with me. I umm… I just wanted to make sure everything was right before we got married. I think now is the right time. And I am glad that you will all be here to share this with us.”

That was it. Noctis got through it even though the last sentence sounded like a question to him in retrospect. Soon enough though, the applause began and Luna patted him on the shoulder and gave Noctis a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up herself. She was a much better public speaker. She started off by saying that “My fiance has few words. But he speaks from his heart. And I love him for that.”

It was then that Noctis realized that he did not say that line in his speech. He didn’t tell this audience of their friends and family that he loved this woman who was now talking about when they first met. He totally forgot and he was mentally kicking himself for that. He looked down on his plate instead that was filled with some very tastefully places vegetables. Noctis closed his eyes and tried to pay attention as Luna spoke. When she would pause, he would look down and she would smile at him. It was her genuine smile and Noctis felt even more guilty each time she smiled at the audience.

When Luna finished her speech, to much greater fanfare than his own, Noctis was grateful that he could eat and tried to ignore what was going on around them. Ignis was sitting next to him and eying him with a an evil glare and Gladio had the same one on his face. Ravus looked like he wanted to murder him right then and there.

Noctis had told Ignis and Gladio what had happened when he went to Prompto’s apartment that night. He felt really guilty about it and Noctis had to tell someone what had happened. They already knew what was going on and they had urged Noctis to put a stop to this. Gladio yelled at him the day before and even then, with Noctis feeling braver than he had since he became an Intern. Ignis encouraged him to stop this before everyone headed over to Gauldin Quay. Noctis was ready to tell his Dad that he was not going to do _this_.

 _This_ wedding was not going to happen. Noctis knew it and he did not know when he was going to tell everyone to go home. He was going to deserve Sylva or Ravus beating the crap out of him because it had gotten this far. It should have ended five years ago when Luna asked him the first time. He was so exhausted and that first year as an intern was miserable. He worked 48 hour shifts regularly and could not sleep when he got home. The trauma of surgery and watching people die in front of him on a near daily basis was traumatic. Iggy and Gladio were good mentors to him, otherwise he would have quit during that first month. However, Noctis persisted and kept doing it because the disappointment on his father’s face would have killed him.

He passed up running their family business to save people and his father was proud of his son for making that choice. Noctis was not proud of himself though. If he was, he would have told Luna to go date someone else and to marry someone else because they were not the same. They were no longer those childhood friends that were inseparable. That glue could not hold them together even if Noctis tried to pretend that was enough. She was living her life and Noctis was living with the fact that this was the life he chose. His stubbornness was too great to change what was in front of him. That was probably why it was too hard to call the whole thing off. It would have meant that he had failed and he could not allow himself to do that.

It did not matter now, because Noctis was going to embarrass himself regardless. Luna could not stop that from happening and neither could his father.

At the corner of Noctis’ eye, he caught the careful gaze of the man that he met _that_ day. He _honestly_ thought that Prompto wanted to die the way he was running across the street. It turned out that was not the case but Noctis could not help it but be pulled in by the wedding planner that smiled and made him laugh. Until they went to the park, Noctis could not remember the last time he had laughed that much. It had been a while. Instead of refusing to go out on a night when he would have time to sleep, he had fun. He even danced. 

Prompto was _so_ sure of what he wanted and how to get it that it scared Noctis. Everyone else in his life was sure and steadfast in what they wanted. Ignis and Gladio would tell him to get his act together. But Prompto was the first one to do it without any fear. Prompto did not care that his father owned half the city (at least when they went on that first date, Prompto did not know). Ignis and Gladio knew who Noctis was and his social standing. The trust-fund doctor with something to prove. They’d go too easier on him than with their own interns. Ignis would talk around what Noctis was doing wrong. Gladio would berate him if he screwed up with a step during surgery. Afterwards, they’d praise him for doing it right in the end. The other interns were not as lucky.

Prompto was absolutely different though. 

His world was not about surgeries or fancy social events where he had to kiss ass in high society. He had a Dad that went to the war and Prompto was just trying to buy a house for him. It was simple and there was no ulterior motive. Prompto loved his job. So Noctis thought that it was refreshing. That night at the apartment, it all dawned on Noctis that he needed this kind of person in his life. He had been missing this kind of person for so long. Prompto told him to find out what made him happy and Noctis realized with stunning clarity that he was making a mistake. 

Noctis had been the happiest that he had been for a long time _with_ Prompto.

He could not marry Luna and Noctis did not know what to do to stop this wedding.

***

“Dad I need to talk to you,” Noctis said gloomily. The rehearsal dinner was over. Noctis watched as Prompto directed a few of the construction workers to tear down the tents to make them large enough to accommodate more guests. The wedding was in two days and Noctis thought that it would be plenty of time to stop the wedding.

“About?” His Dad was on the phone but he seemed to be done with the conversation. With one swipe of the phone, he looked at Noctis. “What is it?”

“Umm,” Noctis shuffled his feet and looked around. “Can we do this somewhere private?”

“What is it?” His Dad asked. Noctis tried to crane his head towards the vineyard. He had hoped that it would be more private. “Noctis what’s wrong?”

“I need to talk to you,” Noctis said in a hushed tone. 

His father looked confused but also looked over at the skyline of the city. They were in a skyscraper overlooking the city. The next day, they would be driving to Gauldin Quay for the wedding. At the moment, it looked as though his Dad was looking for someone. He quickly looked back at Noctis who was getting more nervous by the second.

“Come on,” his father began. “Let’s go. I think you just need to relax Noctis. Getting married is a whole new stress in your life.”

“I didn’t think it would be like this,” Noctis began. “This seems very overwhelming.”

“I agree,” his father nodded. “I think tonight should be a time to unwind.”

“But,” Noctis walked in front of his Dad. “It’s just that. I know you have been telling me to ‘be happier’ about this but I am just not…”

It was here that Noctis thought he would have a good chance to just tell his Dad that he could not do this. He could not marry Luna. Absolutely not. 

“What are you saying?” his father said harshly.

“Well… what I mean is,” Noctis mumbled. “I… umm… The thing—”

“—Excuse me,” Prompto interrupted them. Noctis flinched and Prompto just ignored him. He had not looked at Noctis or so much as talked to him in the past three months. Noctis could not take it. “Sorry, it’s just that I have the three Moogles in the hotspot now. I am going to go back home for the night, but I just wanted to let you know.”

Prompto even winked at his father which Noctis thought was weird as hell.

“That sounds like a plan,” his father grinned. “Thank you Prompto. Come on Noctis, let’s go talk.”

Noctis tried to look at Prompto so that maybe he could look at him. He needed to at least see the same thing that he saw during that month that they spent nearly every day together. But Prompto did not look at him and made it a point to walk _very_ far away from Noctis. Prompto did not even nod in Noctis’ direction. He just walked away and Noctis felt like an absolute fool.

“What did you want to talk about?” his father asked. “Let’s go back to your apartment.”

“Sure sure,” Noctis mumbled. “Umm… it’s about this wedding. I know it’s… umm…”

Noctis lost his train of thought. He was looking around the floor and there was Prompto laughing with his assistant Cindy. His laugh was echoing in the room and Cindy’s matched his. They both were looking at the reception area and Prompto looked _so_ good in his suit. In fact, if Noctis was being honest with himself, the only thing that he enjoyed about these wedding events was seeing Prompto looking as good as he did. 

“Yes Noctis,” his father looked amused and Noctis just stammered into the elevator. He could not form a coherent thought at the moment. “Is there something you want me to tell Prompto?”

“NO!” Noctis yelled. “No… no….”

“Okay then,” his father chuckled. “I think you just need to relax and unwind.”

“It’s not that Dad,” Noctis groaned. They were finally alone in the elevator and Noctis tried to choose his words carefully. “Dad how did… how did you _know_ you wanted to marry Mom?”

His father looked at him absolutely bewildered. “What do you _mean_?”

“How did you _know_?” Noctis pleaded. He was desperate at this point. 

“Noctis, you cannot be serious,” his father looked shocked by what Noctis had said. “After everything that has been done.”

“Just tell me,” Noctis whined. He felt close to tears. “I just need to know.”

His father looked at him and he looked like he wanted to yell at Noctis. But he didn’t, he just relaxed and let the elevator door open. Noctis followed him and they were both silent until Noctis was able to sit comfortably in the car. 

“I wanted to marry your mother because I was in love with her,” his father said quietly. “I would always be thinking about her. Everything I saw reminded me of her. Even if I was not feeling well or vice versa, she’d always find a way to figure out what was wrong. I can’t explain it…”

Noctis nodded and he was shaking. 

“I suppose,” his father began. “If you can’t picture your life without them, you should marry them…”

“Okay,” Noctis sighed. “I think I understand.”

His father looked at him curiously. “Noctis, are you sure you are okay? You have been… how can I explain it.”

Noctis saw the entrance to his apartment and did not want to hear the rest from his father. His father knew him well enough to know that he was absolutely not in love with Luna. He just needed someone to tell him that it was okay to not be. However, Noctis did not wait to hear his father’s answer. Instead, Noctis chose to say good night and got out of the car unceremoniously. Luna was probably back at his apartment and he could talk to her finally. It would be difficult but Noctis had to tell her first. 

That would have been fine but there was just one problem. Luna was not in his apartment. 

Instead, there were three strippers inside, party streamers everywhere, food plates and bottles of liquor all over the apartment. Gladio and Ignis were putting leis on top of every guest that was coming in and the apartment smelled like alcohol. Once Noctis entered the apartment, there was a huge cheer and people from his medical cohort congratulating him. Noctis shot daggers at Gladio and Ignis who just looked at him nonchalantly. This was their way of addressing his stupidity and Noctis deserved every second of this.

It was terrible.

He needed to hide. 

“Let’s get the groom a lap dance,” Noctis heard that and immediately made a b-line to the restroom. 

Everyone at the party started to groan and a few people laughed. Noctis did not care. His whole plan was going to waste. Luna was not there to meet him. _Of course_ they would throw him a bachelor party. _Of course_ he never asked for one. This was probably his ultimate punishment for delaying the conversation for so long. He could blame work for keeping him busy or just seeing the amount being spent as an incentive to keep quiet. The truth was that he was a coward and he had to stop this now. 

Noctis sat down on the tile floor and heard the music bumping through the walls. Quickly, he began to look through his phone. Maybe if he pretended a patient needed to see him, he could get out of this but there were no calls from the hospital. He could call Luna but maybe she was at her own party. He did not want to interrupt her at all. Plus, the conversation they had to have needed to be in person. Not over the phone. 

It was then that Noctis had an idea. It was a stupid one but he was not a smart man. He could accept that even though he knew how to remove cancerous tumors from any spinal cord, he could not figure out if he was in love. He knew everything about the brain except for that. So he looked up Prompto’s number on his phone. Maybe if he could entertain Noctis’ idea for how to call off the wedding, it would be better than nothing. Prompto was his wedding planner after all. So this was probably the safest thing to do.

Noctis called the number and waited for Prompto to pick up. It was a longshot, but hopefully it would work.

By some miracle, Prompto picked up. 

“Hello?” Prompto yawned. “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Noctis sighed. “It’s Noctis.”

There was a long pause and Noctis heard Prompto groan.

“Did something happen?” Prompto asked. “Unless this is an emergency… I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Why did you pick up then?” Noctis asked.

“I deleted your number a long time ago,” Prompto said in a huff. “It said unknown number.”

Noctis sighed. He was such a fucking idiot.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said quietly. “I am _so_ sorry. For everything.”

Prompto did not answer him but Noctis did not hear the dial tone either.

“I can’t marry her,” Noctis said finally. “I really wanted to for a long time. But I can’t do it.”

“Have you told her?” Prompto asked. “Because if so, I need to make some calls right now…”

“No I haven’t,” Noctis mumbled. “I wanted to tell someone though.”

“But then I need to call this off,” Prompto said more urgently. “I can’t have five hundred people come and then there is no wedding!”

“I want to tell her in person,” Noctis said raising his voice slightly. “I can’t tell her over the phone.”

Prompto sighed. “Fine, but please do it now. Where is she?”

“I don’t know,” Noctis admitted in a defeated tone.

Prompto laughed but it was not a genuine one. “All I know is that Ravus took her out somewhere in the city. Probably one of those stripper shows.”

Noctis rubbed his head and did not mind at all that Prompto laughed a bit. 

“I should probably tell you this,” Prompto said slowly. “Well, remember Nyx?”

“Yeah,” Noctis was now upset again. He _hated_ that guy.

“Well,” Prompto began with his voice in slight disbelief. “We’ve been going out for a bit. Nothing too serious.” He paused. “He asked me to marry him yesterday.”

 _No_.

How could this happen?

Why was this happening?

Whatever Noctis was expecting, it was not that. He wanted to throw up because this was not what he wanted to hear at all. Noctis did not want to hear this at all. 

“Oh,” Noctis said. It was all he could say.

“I haven’t given him an answer yet,” Prompto sighed. 

“Oh,” Noctis repeated. He felt numb.

“I think it’ll be good,” Prompto seemed as though he was trying to convince himself of that fact. Noctis could not be sure though. “All I want to do is to make my Dad happy. He’s been getting sick a lot recently. So, I do want to get married before anything worse happens.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Noctis could not hold it in anymore. He started to cry on the phone. This was all his fault and he had no idea how to stop this shit show he had created. 

“Are you going to call off the wedding?” Prompto asked again. “Because I should know that now.”

Noctis continued to cry on the phone and that was not the answer that Prompto wanted to hear.

“Noctis,” Prompto said seriously now. “I think I am making the right choice. If we did anything, you would have just been a coward about it all. I don’t know if it’s because you are hung up dating a guy or that you have cold feet. But I don’t need that now. You already know what happened with me. You straight-acting guys are the _worst_.”

“It’s not that,” Noctis said honestly. He hoped that Prompto could hear that in his voice. Even with the loud cheers coming from the living room. “It’s _not_ that.”

“Then what is it?” Prompto asked.

Noctis thought about it and really tried to think about it clearly. He had to be honest. “I think I am in love with you Prompto.”

There was a giant pause and then Noctis finally heard the click on the other end. The line was dead. Noctis could have sworn that he heard Ignis knocking on his door but he could not think of what to do. He had to cry about it because it was the easiest thing to do at the moment.

Maybe he could suck it up and marry Luna? He would not be happy about it or particularly enthusiastic but he could pretend that they were happy. That would be the easiest thing to do. It was all in front of him to make that choice. But Noctis thought about what his father had said. Prompto had never lied to him or tried to defend him from the truth now. He was upfront about it all. Even if Prompto did not love him back or wanted nothing else to do with him, Noctis could at least carry his own burdens on his own. They would no longer be anyone else’s to bear. 

The wedding was not going to happen and Noctis knew what he had to do to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN THAT POV SWITCH THO!
> 
> Also this is now going to get extra ridiculous so just hang on y'all it will be a bumpy ass ride MUAHAHAHAHAHA
> 
> If you want to yell at me or hear me rant about international traveling, I am on twitter full-time @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche!


	9. Hold On, We're Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mission complete?

Noctis had no problem kicking out everyone from the cohort and yelling at Ignis and Gladio regarding the bachelor party. He was absolutely upset and had no clue how to deal with the fact that his life was in shambles. When he managed to calm down (which took about half an hour), Noctis realized just how awful his apartment looked. It was clean, yes, but there were streamers everywhere and the strippers (three very pretty looking ladies) looked upset. But Noctis continued to curse at them and at Gladio and Ignis. He was also still crying about Prompto but that did not seem related to this at all.

The strippers mumbled something about being guaranteed at least two hours of pay. Ignis managed to write the three girls checks that would have covered the amount. Once they left, it was only Gladio, Ignis and Noctis left in the apartment. The faint thud of Genuwine’s “Pony” was in the background and it seemed to make Noctis agitated once again.

“I said I didn’t want one,” Noctis said finally. “Why did you throw a fucking bachelor party for me?”

“You’ve been acting like an ass,” Gladio replied. “So we both thought this would serve you right.”

“I’m going to tell her,” Noctis pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I’m _going_ to tell her… I just want to tell her in person.”

“You better,” Ignis started in a aggravated tone. “How could you let this happen? I thought it was just you getting cold feet but it isn’t that.”

“At least he has a type,” Gladio drawled. “Very skinny blondes.”

“Shut up,” Noctis frowned. “I know I fucked up really badly.”

“No Noctis,” Ignis looked even more upset even as he approached Noctis. “This is the worst thing you have _ever_ done. Do you not understand how awful this is? There are five hundred people that will be in Gauldin in two days. You need to stop this. Before we head over there.”

“And don’t bullshit us anymore,” Gladio also approached Noctis with his voice rising. “Just end it. Imagine going through with this? You will both be miserable and hate each other forever. If you can at least end it now, at least you both can be kind of cordial. This isn’t fair to her.”

“It’s not our job to do this for you,” Ignis frowned. “Do this now. It’s still early. You can at least try and end this now.”

“But she’s with Ravus,” Noctis rubbed his forehead but ever he knew that he should not make anymore excuses. “They’re out partying or something.”

“They aren’t actually,” Gladio chuckled. “Ravus told me that he took her out to drink some wine and do a painting class. I didn’t believe it either but that’s what Ravus told me that she wanted to do.”

Noctis nodded. So that probably meant that she was at his apartment in the city. 

“I’ll call her,” Noctis said. He already had horrible luck with phone calls so he did not want to go 0 for 2 that night. “I’ll call her right now.”

“Okay,” Ignis seemed to relax a bit in his shoulders. “Once you say it you will feel better.”

“Alright,” Gladio clapped his hands and looked around the apartment. “I am heading out for the night. Call me if you need anything kid.”

He patted Noctis on the shoulder and walked out of the apartment unceremoniously. Ignis stayed at the apartment and helped clean up a bit. He was also checking his phone very often, smiling at the screen a bit before putting the phone away.

Noctis texted Luna who replied immediately. She was at Ravus’ apartment. However, Noctis decided to leave right away. If he didn’t leave now, he would back out of what he wanted to do. It was a good thing that Ignis did not stop him, he just groaned at his friend wearily and nodded.

“Can you lock up the apartment when you go?” Noctis was almost done putting on his coat. Ignis nodded back at Noctis.

“Good luck,” Ignis said softly. “And I’ll lock everything up.”

Noctis did not need to be told twice. He raced out of the door and down the elevator. Despite Ravus hating his guts, he had no problem with the man beating him senseless. Especially after what he had done, Noctis wanted to be a glutton for punishment. Things had gotten this far and he honestly had no excuse for it. Nothing would be a good enough explanation for what he had done. 

Thankfully, there was an uber to take him to the apartment. As Noctis got into the car, he practiced what to say. He went over the lines over and over again. He only had one chance to do this right and he was not going to waste anymore time.

***

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ravus was dishevelled and looked upset. Regardless, he let Noctis in, begrudgingly so. 

“I need to talk to Luna,” Noctis said firmly. Ravus shrugged and went down the hallway to his bedroom. He seemed too tired to hassle Noctis. There was another bedroom on the other side that Noctis walked to carefully. He heard some humming and knew that Luna was still awake. The door was slightly ajar and Noctis saw her. 

She was trying on her wedding dress. Her hair was in a tight and messy bun but the dress looked like it was made for her to wear at all times. Luna just looked _that_ amazing in it. She grabbed onto the bodice and patted it down repeatedly. Luna did a twirl to look at the back. She studied her reflection carefully, as though she was trying to find a flaw. Luna looked stunning but Noctis could not bear to look at her any longer. He knocked on the door and Luna glanced back in disbelief.

“Noctis!” Luna half-yelled. She stopped looking at her reflection. Instead, she turned around in shock. “Noctis… why are you here?”

“Umm,” Noctis began. He had to hold his nerve. He _had_ to do this. “We need to talk.”

“Right now?” Luna looked flustered. “You can’t see me in the dress. It’s bad luck!”

“That doesn’t matter,” Noctis sighed. “I need to talk to you.”

“At least let me change.” Luna turned her back to him. “If you wanted to talk, we could have talked on the phone. What happened?”

“Luna,” Noctis was a bit more firm. This time she did look up and Noctis thought that maybe she knew what was coming. The fear that was in her eyes now changed to sadness. “Please… I need to talk to you.”

Luna looked like she was going to cry but she didn’t. She just nodded and made no move to take off the dress. It was now or never. Noctis rehearsed this in the car. He was ready.

“Luna,” Noctis began. His voice was hoarse. “Why do you want to marry me?”

Luna just stared at him. “Noctis.”

“Luna, answer me please.” 

Luna was now crying openly and Noctis did not want to either. It was hard, so he just waited for her response.

“Luna,” Noctis repeated. “If you tell me that we should do this, I’ll do it and that’ll be that. I’ll say the vows and pose for the pictures. I’ll smile and do whatever you want me to do. If you really love me then I can live with that. But right now, I just can’t do this.”

“Noctis,” Luna was in tears. “W-why d-didn’t you s-say someth-thing earlier?”

“Because I’m a coward,” Noctis said honestly. “Because I got comfortable I guess. I… I didn’t want to disappoint you or anyone else.”

Luna still cried but this time she sat down on the bed. And Noctis gave her the chance to cry it out. He knew he was being an asshole and nothing could change that. Even now, Noctis was glad he said something. He felt _so much_ better. It didn’t help that he could have ruined Luna’s reputation and his own. This all had to stop now. He was sick feeling like this. 

Noctis thought about the conversation that he still needed to have with his father. The one that they had earlier was unfinished. That conversation, Noctis figured, was going to be much worse than the one he was having now. 

“Y-you sh-should have s-said something sooner,” Luna crossed her arms but her tears were easing up. She looked devastated. “I c-could have w-waited.”

“That’s the thing,” Noctis approached her carefully. He didn’t want to push it anymore. “I think I knew, even back then that this wasn’t going anywhere. I know I should have said something sooner. But I just thought things would change. I kept waiting for it to make sense, and then it just didn’t. And I’m so sorry it didn’t Luna. I am _really_ sorry.”

Luna wiped away her tears and scooted over on the bed. She patted the bed and Noctis, despite her anxiety regarding this entire situation, sat down. 

“Do you still want to do this Luna?” Noctis asked again. She looked at him and for the first time, in what Noctis felt like was years, she looked at him in a way he had never seen before. 

“... No Noctis,” Luna said quietly. “I’ve felt the same way as well. I had doubts...”

“I’m so sorry,” Noctis sighed. Luna rested her head on Noctis’ shoulder and he did not back away from the touch. He was too shocked to do anything. This wedding was not going to happen and he felt nothing but pure relief.

“I think we became different people,” Luna murmured. “I thought it was so nice to tell everyone we were childhood sweethearts. That we went to college together. It seemed much easier to do that than to know that we were changing.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said quietly. “I am sorry.”

“Don’t be Noctis,” Luna lifted her head and looked at him. “Imagine if we went through with this? At least we can have a fancy party with five hundred people.” 

Noctis admired that. Even now, she was finding a sense of humor through all of this.

“I thought you would be more mad at me,” Noctis asked. “I don’t know…”

“I am Noctis,” Luna said solemnly. “I am but… I had my doubts months ago. I actually told Prompto.”

Noctis, who felt very proud of himself at that point of the night, now felt a huge pang of guilt going through his body. He had to figure out how to deal with Prompto as well. But he was not surprised to hear it. Prompto had been so helpful and hospitable to the entire wedding party. Even Gladio and Ignis, before the incident in the apartment, liked him. After what had happened, Prompto was polite to them even if they were not particularly kind to him. Noctis accepted full responsibility for what happened. Even so, Gladio and Ignis were his friends first, so they probably thought the worst of Prompto. The only thing that Prompto had done wrong was be _too_ good at his job. 

“I need to talk to you about him too,” Noctis began. Luna looked at him curiously. 

“What do you mean?” Luna asked. 

Noctis took a deep breath. “I… well… I know this is awful. But, I kind of… I think… ummm. Well, Luna…”

“Spit it out Noctis,” Luna narrowed her eyes. “What did you do?”

“I think I am in love with Prompto,” Noctis winced. “ _I_ didn’t… _we_ didn’t do anything together. I just… that month I realized I was falling for him. It felt like he had something that I was missing out on. I can’t explain it.”

Luna frowned but she did not look surprised. “I think I knew though.” She paused. “I saw the two of you on facetime, and I hadn’t seen you smile like that in years. I just thought it was you being excited about the wedding. But that makes sense now.”

“I’m sorry,” Noctis repeated. “He doesn’t want anything to do with me. Which I think might be for the best.”

“I think so too,” Luna sighed. “Figure out what you want Noctis. And be sure about it. That’s always been your biggest fault.”

“I know,” Noctis said sadly. “I know…”

“I’ll call up Prompto tomorrow morning,” Luna looked at the alarm clock near her bed. “I think he might be asleep. It’s already 2 in the morning.”

“Luna,” Noctis said suddenly. “Go on the honeymoon with your Mom. Maybe take Ravus so he won’t kill me over here.”

Luna started to laugh and so did Noctis. 

“I’ll think about it,” Luna said. “I’d hate for that vacation to go to waste.”

“I know,” Noctis sighed. He finally stood up and looked at Luna. She looked sad but Noctis knew she would not say that way for long. “I better get going.”

“Thanks for telling me now Noctis,” Luna said brightly. “Saving us the trip to Gauldin is probably for the best.”

“I know,” Noctis smiled. “I’m sorry again.”

“Me too,” Luna said softly. “It’ll be fine Noctis.”

Noctis was not sure about that. But he believed it. The only thing left for now, was his father and the fallout. 

***

When Noctis got back to his apartment, he got maybe three hours of sleep before the flood of calls came in. The best and perhaps worst of it was from Ravus. It was five profanity-laced messages that Noctis could not help but laugh at. Noctis was sure that someday, Ravus would thoroughly kick his ass. Maybe it would be today, but Noctis would not even fight Ravus over his own stupidity. 

The real test of his character came when his father called him. Noctis answered right away and his father said not to move and stay at his apartment. So Noctis got ready, he tried to brush his teeth and wash his face. He looked terrible but he felt lighter and free. He could try and restart his life and that was something that he was looking forward to. Noctis went into the kitchen and tried to cook something, but he realized that he couldn’t do that on three hours of sleep. So he just grabbed whatever was left (thankfully Ignis had a box of leftovers in the fridge) and heated it up in the microwave. After drinking some orange juice, Noctis heard his father knock at his apartment door.

He was ready for this conversation to. Noctis had rehearsed it. He was ready for what was going to be said. Very gingerly, Noctis made his way to the door and opened it. Sure enough, his father looked disappointed which made Noctis’ stomach jump in the worst way. He had just ate, but he felt sick. However, Noctis wanted to answer questions there were.

“Is it true?” his father asked once Noctis closed the door. 

“Yeah,” Noctis bowed his head shamefully. “I went over last night to tell Luna. Dad I…” Noctis finally looked up and he couldn’t bear to look at his father again. So he just shook his head. “I couldn’t do that to her. We’re different people.”

“You could not realize this months ago?” His father tossed his hands in the air and now he looked upset but he was trying to steady his voice. “Noctis, do you realize how much time we’ve spent on this.”

“I’ll pay you back,” Noctis said quickly. “If that’s what you want me to do.”

“I don’t mean it like that Noctis,” his father raised his hands and looked at Noctis in disbelief. “Is this what you asked me about yesterday? That you weren’t ready.”

“Yes,” Noctis said firmly. “I… I had to be sure. So I asked Luna again if I was the one. And we both agreed not to do this. I didn’t want to embarrass her anymore.”

His father nodded his head but it looked like he still could not believe it. 

“I’m so sorry,” Noctis pleaded. “I just, I just could not live with myself if we went through it all and then I would file for a divorce down the line. I just couldn’t do it.”

His father approached Noctis carefully. “Is there someone else?”

Noctis felt his cheeks flush and turned away. “What?”

“I knew it,” his father laughed but turned away from Noctis. “Is she worth throwing away for?”

“He,” Noctis corrected his father. “Umm… _he_... and yes, I think so.”

Noctis had never felt more embarrassed in his life. There was those two years when he went backpacking. Luna and Noctis agreed to see other people just because it was too much trouble to keep up otherwise. And then Noctis sort of knew that maybe he was not that straight after all. He had never acted on those feelings. His complacency killed him. No matter who he met, he chose to never do anything about it. He always found his way back to Luna. At the time, it was good and he felt as though he was making the right choice.

Prompto, however, threw him completely off guard. Those feelings he had came back and that was probably what was wrong with him all along. He felt stupid but it was better to admit it now.

“I can’t believe this,” his father said finally. “Please don’t tell me you were cheating the entire time.”

“I was _not_ ,” Noctis countered back. “I just know that I can’t marry Luna. She deserves someone that is going to love her. And I can’t be that person.”

“ _Shit_ ,” his father said. Noctis laughed a bit, he had not heard his father curse in a while. So it was out of place and bizarre to hear it now.

“Yeah,” Noctis finally sat down. His bar stool chairs in the kitchen were not comfortable but he wanted to sit. “Luna said she’d call and try and cancel everything. I think they’ll probably be calling you too. I called the airline during breakfast and told them to take me off the ticket. I think Luna and Sylva deserve a nice vacation.”

“Oh Noctis,” his father sat down as well. “This is a mess.” 

“I know,” Noctis scratched the back of his head. “I think once everything gets sorted out, I’d like to take some time off.”

“Why?” his father asked.

“I realized a few things,” Noctis said slowly. “I… I need to figure out what makes me happy. I am not happy right now. I feel like garbage. And I’m a coward. If I was a better man, I would have ended this five or ten years ago. But I didn’t.”

Both of them did not say anything for a long time. They just sat on the chairs and stared off into the distance as the sun rose up and pierced through the Insomnia skyline.

“I suppose,” his father began. “It was probably better this way. Divorce would have been painful.”

“Yeah,” Noctis nodded. “I just feel relieved.”

At that moment, Regis’ phone rang. He picked up and Noctis continued to stare off into the distance. He was upset but he had not felt that honest in a long time. He felt absolutely liberated. 

“What do you mean Prompto is not going to be available until 10?” Regis asked. “Luna and Noctis agreed to call off the wedding. We need to figure out what to do next.”

Noctis was pulled out of his thoughts and looked at his father.

“He’s getting _married_?” Regis said in an aghast tone. “ _Now_?!”

Noctis immediately leaped for the phone and grabbed it forcefully out of his father’s hands.

“EXCUSE ME,” Noctis yelled. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN PROMPTO’S GETTING MARRIED NOW!?”

“Well here’s the thing,” it was Cindy’s voice. “We were kinda blindsided too. I’m at city hall with the boss. It shouldn’t take long. We have emergency plans for called off weddings—”

Noctis tossed the phone back at his father who was now yelling at him. There was nothing Noctis could do but ignore his father. Noctis ran out the door. He knew that he was wearing some horrible sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt with sneakers. Noctis hadn’t brushed his hair or tried to look presentable at all. He was running on three hours of sleep. But he did not care.

Without a second guess, Noctis sprinted towards the elevator and tried to call an Uber. Nothing was showing up because it was still early in the morning. When he finally got outside of the building. He tried to guess what the shortest route would be to run to city hall. Noctis began to jog in the direction of it and continued to do so while checking google maps. The automated voice said that if he walked, he could be there in 45 minutes. If he took a car, he would also be there in 45 minutes. 

Noctis was not walking. He was sprinting through the city. He jay walked through two intersections and was dead set on following google maps. If he ran, maybe he could be there in 30 minutes. 

Noctis was 1 for 2 with calling off weddings in less than 24 hours.

Now he was determined to have a perfect score.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the love and support guys! I am now going to be traveling until late July. So please don't anticipate any updates until then. I miiiight do one depending on how cell phone reception is but please don't expect anything. I will have all the fluffy cheesecakes and be the queen of the squeenix cafe!
> 
> If you want to yell at me or hear me rant about international traveling, I am on twitter full-time @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche!


	10. Desperado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best mistake...

It was not what Prompto expected at all but it was something that he had in mind. A wedding ceremony like this would be simplistic and not something too extravagant. It would be quick and then he could get on with his life. Prompto had a dark grey suit and some spare pastel green ties with matching colored fabric. He had those ready to use as hair ties for Aranea, Cindy and Nyx’s mother. The ties would be for Nyx, his father and Prompto.

All in all, Prompto thought it would be easier to coordinate things on Saturday with _that_ wedding with a ring on his finger. The burden of not having anything reciprocated between him and the hot bastard doctor wouldn’t be as bad. He would have someone to go home to.

Prompto fixed the collar of his shirt. He had a spare shoes that he thought were eclectic enough for the occasion. He was strangely proud that he could throw a wedding in less than 12 hours. Prompto looked in the mirror and fixed his hair and tried to make sure that there was nothing out of place.

It was fine.

Prompto was _fine_.

Nyx’s parents took the day off. While surprised, they were also excited for the wedding. Prompto’s own father was amazed by the sudden invitation but was happy that he would be able to walk his son down the aisle. Aranea and Cindy agreed to it as well. As far as they knew at the time, the actual money maker wedding was still on. They were both ready and willing to make Prompto’s day special.

It was almost nine in the morning. Prompto was ready and so was everyone else. Even the judge was slightly aghast by a wedding first thing in the morning. Nyx was getting the paperwork ready and Prompto waited for a sign that he was doing the right thing. But at the moment, he was just fine.

Prompto wanted to ask the first client bride, the one that had stayed married the longest coincidently enough, if she was fine. Did she feel _just_ fine or was it a _calm_ fine? Did Prompto even know the difference between the two? He wasn’t sure but at the moment, he felt just fine.

Aranea and Cindy asked him if this was the right thing to do. Prompto just answered, yes… he was fine.

Everything was fine.

Even that night that Nyx had asked Prompto, it was fine. It was oddly sweet. They had only been on maybe four official dates. The rest of the times they did hang out, Prompto and Nyx were either grocery shopping or going out for runs in the morning. The official dates, Nyx was not overbearing but polite. He sometimes said the wrong things regarding his clients or brought up their childhood summer together, but he stopped when Prompto told him to stop. Nyx gave him space and was actually interested in everything he had to say. Nyx asked him about his day and Prompto did the same thing. Slowly, it seemed to get easier for Prompto to accept that maybe just “fine” would be the best thing for him. He didn’t want to be burdened by unavailable men anymore. Prompto was tired of giving his all and not getting much of anything anymore. At least Nyx was trying. Nyx was not an idiot though. He often asked Prompto if he was okay and Prompto usually deflected and talked about something else. Nyx knew that things should have been better than just “fine.”

Even the night Nyx asked Prompto to marry him, he was careful with his words. He was willing to give Prompto enough time to think about it. Nyx was about 7 years older and said that he was ready to make Prompto happy. It was surreal because it was everything Prompto wanted to hear. Someone was willing to make him the most important person in their life. Prompto hated that he hesitated. He hated himself for asking for more time.

Then Noctis called him the night before and Prompto hated himself even more. The only reason that Prompto was even getting himself ready now was because Noctis did not cancel the wedding. If Noctis just gave Prompto the some kind of reassurance that the best wedding Prompto had ever planned was over, Prompto would have ended it with Nyx.

But Noctis didn’t. He was just a hot bastard doctor. He was a coward. Prompto now knew what he had to do.

He was _fine_.

Prompto was going to marry Nyx. With one last check, Prompto was ready and he looked as good as he did with 2 hours of sleep. His father was waiting there for him at the oak doors near the chapel entrance. Once the doors opened, Prompto was happy with how this wedding looked. Nyx was already there waiting for him. There was a big grin on his face and Prompto smiled as widely as he could. Aranea and Cindy were on his side of the chapel with their best business attire with those hair ties in their hair. They had walked down the aisle with sunflower bouquets they bought quickly in the morning. It matched with the sunflower boutonnieres that the rest of the males in the party were wearing.

When they reached the end of the walkway, his father gave Prompto a big hug and handed him off to Nyx. Prompto grabbed Nyx’s hand softly and waited for the judge to begin speaking.

This was just fine.

“We are gathered together in the presence of these witnesses to join these two men in matrimony,” the Judge began. “This contract is not to be taken lightly but thoughtfully and seriously with a deep realization of its obligations and responsibilities. If anyone can show just cause why these two should not be joined together in matrimony then let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

Prompto waited and then he realized that everything was _not_ fine.

He did not want to do this and he suddenly realized his mistake. The only problem was that his voice was not working. Prompto was frozen with a big smile on his face.

“WAIT!!!!”

Prompto turned around and so did everyone else. He could not believe it.

“What the hell?"

Prompto’s father looked absolutely disgusted meanwhile Cindy and Aranea looked thoroughly amused.

“Wait,” Noctis panted. The hot bastard was in between the oak doors. “Don’t… do this.”

Prompto was not going to but he still was upset. This stupid asshole doctor. All Prompto wanted to do was kick Noctis’ ass but the same time, he was absolutely grateful.

At least Noctis looked terrible. His shirt was drenched with sweat and there was some grime on it too. Every strand on his hair was sticking to his face in bizarre angles. There was nothing glamorous about the doctor now. In fact, Prompto thought that the party bus going to Gauldin was supposed to leave early that morning but Noctis was here.

Maybe Noctis was not a coward?

“Who the hell are you?” Prompto’s father said in a dangerous tone. Immediately, Prompto rushed forward.

“I’m so sorry,” Noctis was looking right at Prompto. “I couldn’t do it.”

“Prompto,” his father now looked at him, eyes blazing. “Who the _fuck_ is this?”

“I’m Noctis, and I am in love with your son.”

Prompto was stunned. He felt like he was out of place from this madness taking place in front of his eyes.

“Prompto,” his father bagan. “Is this true?”

Prompto just stared at Noctis. His brain stopped working.

“What is going on?” Aranea asked. Prompto turned around and looked as dumbstruck as Cindy. Although, she looked amused by the whole thing.

“Dad,” Prompto said slowly. He had to make sense of this somehow. “Let me talk to him real quick.”

“Prompto,” his father looked so confused. “What are you doing?”

“It’s fine,” Prompto sighed. “Just let me talk to him really fast.” Prompto looked to make eye contact with the judge. “Give me like… 5 minutes.”

The judge tossed his hands up and rolled his eyes. Prompto took that as his cue and exited the chapel with Noctis (who was still panting heavily) at his side. Once the oak doors were closed behind them and Prompto was able to look around. He sized up Noctis. Prompto wanted to kick his ass and also kiss him but he decided to play it down the middle.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Prompto yelled.

Noctis just looked at him and shook his head. “Where do you want me to start?”

“Don’t be a smartass,” Prompto hissed. “Why aren’t you on the party bus?!”

“I called it off!” Noctis waved his hands. He was drenched with sweat. “I called it off. I couldn’t do it. I talked to Luna last night. We called it off.”

Prompto’s eyes widened in shock. Noctis steadied his breathing and tried to fan himself.

“Noctis,” Prompto said carefully. “You can’t just show up here and expect me not to get married. It doesn’t work like that.”

“Then how does it work?!” Noctis asked. “I ran all the way here. Because I realized I made a mistake. And if it’s too late... then I can live with that.”

Prompto was honestly speechless. When he said nothing, Noctis kept going.

“I am sorry,” Noctis sighed. “I really am. I should have ended that relationship a long time ago. But I didn’t. And maybe if you decide to give me a chance, I’ll be terrible to you. I don’t _know_ at this point. But I am really sick and tired of being this way.”

‘It can’t be like this,” Prompto’s anger was still there. “You can’t just do _this_...”

“I mean it though,” Noctis took a deep breath. “I said I am in love with you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You said to pick something that made me happy. Right now, you are the only thing that I can think of.”

Prompto was stunned. He was not sure what to do. All he wanted was for someone to get a crystal ball and see into the future and tell him who to pick. It was so bizarre and he had never been dealt a curveball like this before. Sure there were brides that took 45 minutes of coaching to get down the aisle. There were grooms that needed that extra shove. But Prompto had no idea what advice to give himself now.

“Prompto just tell me what you want?” Noctis pleaded. “I’m so sorry. I just needed to tell you. If you tell me to leave, then I promise I’ll leave.”

Prompto thought about it. He was _really_ thinking about it.

“Just wait here,” Prompto told Noctis. He was out of his element but it was the only answer that made sense. If he couldn’t do this, then at least his Dad could advise him.

When Prompto got inside, everyone stared at him. Nyx looked upset, as did the rest of his friends and parents that were there. Aranea and Cindy looked like they just needed some popcorn to enjoy this shit show even more.

“I’m sorry,” Prompto bowed his head shamefully. “I can’t marry you today Nyx.” Prompto had the decency to look right at Nyx. Everyone in the chapel looked stunned but the judge took that as his cue to leave. The only one that looked sadder than Nyx were his friends and family. Prompto’s father just looked disappointed. As everyone began to leave in the sideways entrance of the chapel, Prompto felt like crying. He, for a nanosecond, sympathized with Noctis. On the other hand, he still wanted to beat up Noctis for what had just happened.

“Where is he?” his father asked. “Explain this to me.”

Prompto heard the big oak doors to the chapel open. It was Noctis, who looked guilty, as he slowly came forward.

“Dad,” Prompto pleaded. “I’m sorry.” Then it was just easy for Prompto to burst into tears. This was a mess, but he felt better.

“Look,” Noctis began slowly. He looked at Prompto and then took a deep breath. “I am sorry Mr. Cor.”

“Who are you?” his father asked again. Prompto had to hold one of his Dad’s arms with great reluctance. He still wanted to see Noctis get his ass kicked, but he was not going to able to enjoy it while crying. “Better question: What gives you the right to stop this wedding?“

“Dad stop,” Prompto huffed. “I stopped it.”

“What?” his father looked mad.

“This is that doctor,” Prompto pointed at Noctis. “The one that was getting married remember? The one that kept flirting with me.”

His father looked and Prompto and then looked at Noctis while looking absolutely unimpressed.

“He doesn’t look like a doctor,” his father grumbled.

“I get that a lot,” Noctis winced immediately as Prompto’s father took a step forward again.

“What’s wrong with Nyx?” his father looked back at Prompto. He was still trying to make sense out of all of it. “You’d rather pick a _cheater?_ ”

“No Dad,” Prompto steadied himself and wiped away his tears. “I’m not in love with Nyx.”

“So it’s _him_ ” His father looked at Prompto with disbelief. “What if he cheats on you? You _don’t_ know him.”

“I’m not going to,” Noctis interrupted. “Look sir.” Noctis took a step back then stepped forward. “I know I have not been the best. But, I want a chance to make things better. Your son makes me happy. I just couldn’t let him get married without letting him knowing how I felt.”

There was a knock and now it was Nyx who came back in. The three friends that Prompto had met, Pelna, Crowe and Libertus were looking in absolute disgust at Noctis. They did not enter the chapel. On the other hand, Cindy and Aranea looked at the whole thing with eager eyes.

“Hello,” Nyx looked oddly devastated. Prompto felt sorry for him but he also felt so ridiculously relieved. “Prompto, are you sure about this?”

“Yes,” Prompto said a little too quickly. “Umm… yes. I’m sorry.”

“About time,” Nyx was eying Noctis now. He looked like he was going to say something else but didn’t. Nyx shook his head and made his way towards Prompto. “If you’re sure, then I have to respect that.”

“Thank you,” Prompto said slowly. “I’m sorry.” He felt stupid but Nyx did not look as sad anymore.

“I think it’s okay,” Nyx smiled. “I kind of knew anyways.”

“Wait a minute,” Prompto’s father raised his hand and still looked exasperated. “Why did you decide to get married then? If this isn’t what you wanted Prompto, why did you do it?”

Prompto felt even worse now. He just wanted to leave but he couldn’t. Noctis was looking at him encouragingly. It seemed fitting that the two of them would be this messy together. Prompto was not even sure if that’s what he wanted now. Aranea would probably give him the vacation time to just process all of this. Noctis called off probably the best wedding that Prompto would never see take place. The hot bastard doctor ran all the way over to city hall for him. It was the nicest and stupidest thing anyone had ever did for him. But, Prompto still wanted to kick Noctis’ ass. Why didn’t he know that he wasn’t going to marry Luna months ago? Would Noctis do this again to him in the future? If Noctis got tired of him, Prompto was not sure what he would do then.

“I don’t know,” Prompto said quietly. He started to cry again, he felt ashamed. Prompto tried to fend off the hug from his Dad but he just let him do it. He had no idea what to do next.

***

Once the commotion stopped. Aranea and Cindy left to try and figure out how to help Luna. The wedding reception was going to be converted into a high society party. If anyone wanted to attend, they were more than welcome to. Noctis was sitting outside the city hall steps and looked thoroughly unbothered. At least that is what Prompto thought. After apologizing to Nyx’s friends and family, Prompto felt guilty, but less so. It was easier to apologize to them and after talking to his father even more Prompto spilled out even more.

Prompto talked about how Noctis saved him. Their stupid first date and the official first one at the park watching Kung Fu Hustle. He talked about Noctis lying to him and how they just liked each other, there was no other explanation to it. Prompto couldn’t tell his Dad that he was absolutely head over heels in love with the hot bastard doctor. He couldn’t tell him that Noctis’ laugh was the best thing Prompto ever heard or how Noctis was so funny when he wanted to be. Prompto also could not tell his Dad why he said he couldn’t marry Nyx. He refused to say it aloud. Prompto was just in love and there was no other explanation except that one.

“Go home,” Prompto told Noctis. The hot bastard turned around and shook his head as a response.

Prompto took that as a cue to sit next to Noctis. They were both tired but at least Prompto still looked presentable.

“I hope you are happy,” Prompto began. “I don't think I’m going to be able to buy my Dad’s house now.”

“I’ll buy it for you,” Noctis replied. He cocked his eyebrow at Prompto.

“No thanks,” Prompto laughed. “I wanted to do it myself.”

“My Dad got pissed at me too,” Noctis offered. “So I’m sorry for the bad first impression.”

“He’ll probably get over it,” Prompto waved his hand. “I think he’s just mad I didn’t say something sooner. I don’t think he’d like it if I was unhappily married.”

“Is that why you planned this so quickly,” Noctis asked. “Because, I get it. I think.”

“Kinda,” Prompto scratched the back of his head. “I think I was just mad.”

“Yeah,” Noctis bowed his head shamefully. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s getting old,” Prompto grinned. “I think you need to treat me to the best first date ever.”

“I thought I did,” Noctis frowned.

“A real one,” Prompto sighed. “Not one where you deny it afterwards. Also not today. I think I just need some time to think things over.”

“That’s fine,” Noctis looked disappointed. “I mean, I prefer that over you telling me to fuck off.”

“I still could,” Prompto warned. “I just need a break from weddings and love for a week. I just need time to think about this. Plus, I am worried…”

“About?” Noctis asked.

“Just you know,” Prompto began. He frowned when Noctis looked confused. “Well, you were in love with Luna too. So, I don’t know if this was an easy out for you.”

“It wasn’t actually,” Noctis was frowning now too. “I don’t regret it either Prompto. I made lots of people mad today and I don’t care anymore. If they all think I made a mistake, I don’t care. I just had to tell you, as long as you care then that’s all that matters.”

"I'm still mad at you," Prompto replied.

"Okay," Noctis smiled.

"And I don't know if I can trust you."

"Okay."

Prompto stopped and looked at Noctis. "Okay."

He smiled a bit at that hot bastard doctor and their gazes were strictly locked on one another. It might have made no sense to anyone else, but Prompto was happy with this. Noctis kept his distance and so did Prompto. Maybe if they could start over and this could work? There was no way to be sure, but all Prompto knew was that he needed time. If he could figure out what this all meant, he could maybe be more than fine.

But who was he kidding?

Prompto was in love with that hot bastard doctor. Nothing was going to change that. So Prompto called up an uber and told Noctis to call him a week from now. Maybe then, Prompto would be ready for what was next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!!! :3
> 
> My bride to be friend had a spare chromebook and I had to get this out ASAP! So here you go! Now forreal, no updates until late July. Peace out and I will see y'all while I am getting my absolute life in Japan. Thank you!!!
> 
> If you want to yell at me or hear me rant about international traveling, I am on twitter full-time @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche!


	11. Kiss It Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An actual date...

The week off had provided Noctis with a much needed break. He knew that his father trusted his judgement but Prompto didn’t know how much that would effect him. His father did give him some space which was good. The phone calls were short and Prompto knew his father was mad, but there was nothing else to do about it. In fact, all of _it_ was all a bit overwhelming to deal with. 

Prompto decided to focus on something else. Being able to fix his apartment was a good thing. It was nice for Prompto to be able to not worry about work or the hot bastard doctor. 

In his free time, Prompto was able to look at his schedule for the year, clean his apartment and watch some movies that were on an infinitely long list of movies he would never complete. It was between watching the newest disney movie that got released (Moana), he got a call from Aranea. It was about business and Aranea sounded worried on the phone. So Prompto made his way to the office. 

It was alright, he was able to pick up some groceries and do some grocery shopping.

“Thanks for coming in Prompto,” Aranea said seriously. “I just wanted to talk to you about the Flueret-Caleum account .” 

Prompto took a seat and felt out of place in his more casual wear. Aranea looked amazing, as always. Prompto was just in some jeans and a t-shirt which was out of place at a time like this. Vacation be damned, he was not going to put on a suit for what sounded like an informal meeting on the phone. 

“Sure,” Prompto cocked his eyebrow and tried to act interested. Eventually Prompto did want to apologize/grovel in front of Luna. He knew it was all wrong. He ruined this perfect wedding that he had planned. So it was only natural that he was apologetic. “I’m sorry again.”

“Look,” Aranea took a deep breath. “Despite the bad publicity, we made lots of money off of that not-wedding.”

“Sure,” Prompto did not know where she was going with this. “I still feel bad.”

“I was going to make you a partner,” Aranea said was a wide grin. “I am still going to do it. I just figured it would be better to get this news on a day off.”

“Really?” Prompto was surprised. “But you said if I didn’t have Noctis walk down the aisle, there was no partner deal.”

“I know what I said,” Aranea smiled. “But we still made _a lot_ of money. She still used our services day of and Luna’s tipsy mom still spun this to the press in her daughter’s favor. That means our names got out there. I have three more potential bougie weddings that might happen in the future. Point is: We almost made all our money back, except for the money from the actual ceremony. Which is still a lot Prompto.”

“So you still made money,” Prompto grumbled. “I am mad though. I think that was that best wedding I ever planned.”

“That’s until you do your own,” Aranea waggled her finger. “And after you sign this.” Aranea pushed the contract, towards Prompto. It was thick and there were two copies. “I am giving this for you to take home. I am not going to fuck you over anyways. As I said, you are my best worker. I want to have you here plus we can change the letterhead on the building.”

“No serif fonts please,” Prompto grinned. He took the contract and laughed. “I’ll look at it.”

“I’ll have a lawyer here on Monday,” Aranea nodded. “Then we can do it officially.”

“Thank you again,” Prompto said quietly. “After everything that happened, I don’t think I deserve this.”

“Look Prompto,” Aranea looked serious now. “You need to try and figure out what is going on with you. You have been about the job for so long… maybe stepping back a bit might be good? You had been so focused on this wedding for Luna and Noctis that I don’t think you were thinking straight. You deserved this contract though. So even if that fling of yours fizzles out, you will have this.”

“Was it nice at least?” Prompto asked but he still felt awfully guilty. “The not-wedding, I mean.”

“Luna’s mother was hilarious,” Aranea sighed. “And the ice sculptures were a nice touch Prompto.”

Prompto sighed. He did a lot of that this week.

“I just hope you know what you’re doing,,” Aranea warned. “It might be exciting hell… if someone did that to me…. I’d be head over heels. Just make sure you know what you are doing. The spark might be gone after one date.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said thoughtfully. It was not a lie. Prompto might have gone on one date with Noctis and then it would have been dead on arrival. He really couldn’t be sure. But he had to be sure that there was nothing there. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Aranea crossed her hands. “Just be careful. And enjoy your time off I guess.”

***

“I want to have dinner with him,” his father was being ridiculous, as usual. “Is he a real doctor? He might be an online doctor.”

“He’s a real doctor dad,” Prompto whined. “Working at a real hospital.”

“Sure,” his father drawled. “You need to be careful. I just think you should have told me something sooner. Not the day of the wedding.”

“Well you got sick a month ago,” Prompto began. “And I just thought maybe I should get married. Just in case something happened.” Prompto felt stupid for admitting that, but he didn’t know what else to say. It was the truth. Nyx treated him well, his father wanted to walk him down the aisle, and he just didn’t want to be lonely anymore. It really did suck being 30 and not being married yet. Especially since he had the worst of luck with love.

“Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” his father cocked his eyebrow. “You might think he is ‘The One’ but it might just be that you are just physically attracted to him.”

“He is attractive,” Prompto said thoughtfully. “And he has a job. And he… well I don’t know. It was nice to think someone did that for me.”

“Really?” His father asked. 

“Yeah,” Prompto sighed. “But, it has been good having time off.”

“Are you going to go on a date with him?” His father asked. “Because…”

“Yes,” Prompto hesitated. There was no point in hiding it. “I called him last night. We are going out tomorrow. So no surprise visits tomorrow please.”

His father looked upset but stayed silent.

“Dad,” Prompto hesitated again. “I know I haven’t made the best decisions recently.”

“Obviously,” his father interrupted.

“Anyways,” Prompto whined. “I have a good feeling about this. I just have to set up some boundaries and rules. We are both adults and we can make this work. Hopefully.”

“We’ll see,” his father said. “We shall see…”

“I found two with an ‘x’ there,” Prompto grinned. They were playing scrabble again. “You want to do best 2 out of 3?”

“It is still early,” his father grinned as well. “I get to beat you twice though.”

***

It was awkward. And it was not going well, at least, by Prompto’s standards.

Noctis met him for dinner at a more upscale restaurant and the reservations were put into place for the wrong date. Even though that was the start of their weird night together, they managed to get seats regardless. Noctis and Prompto held out each other’s chairs at the same time. They were both stubborn about who would sit first. When Prompto made a move to sit down, Noctis did the same thing. Finally, Prompto just sat in his own damn chair, he left Noctis to sit in his own.

“This is nice?” Prompto said while looking at the menu. “Seafood on a first date though?”

“I’ll pay for this,” Noctis replied quietly. “Don't worry. It's not really my thing but it got good reviews on yelp.”

“I see!” Prompto laughed.

Noctis eyed Prompto and sighed but Prompto did not care. As far as Prompto was concerned, Noctis needed to pay for every meal for at least a year. Maybe two years.

“How have you been?” Prompto asked. It was pretty simple. Prompto asked Noctis to dinner, at least, so they could talk. Noctis said yes and took him to get seafood. Which was weird but Prompto was not about to complain about free food.

“Fine,” Noctis was playing with the free bread on the table. “I was actually thinking of joining a private practice. Something smaller and less hectic.”

“Oh really?” Prompto was curious. “Can you do that?”

“Yeah,” Noctis shrugged. “I am still looking around.”

“That’s good,” Prompto grinned. “Less stress sounds good.”

“Yeah,” Noctis sighed. “And you?”

“Well,” Prompto puffed up his chest a bit. He was also grinning which made Noctis laugh a bit. “I got made a partner.”

Noctis’ eyes shot open. “Really? Congrats!”

“Thanks,” Prompto wanted to test the waters a bit. “I mean, I think it was good. Especially because there was no wedding. Still got the job though.”

Noctis rubbed his head but still managed to smile. Prompto should have stopped there but he didn't.

“My Dad doesn't like you.” Prompto paused. “At all.”

“Neither does my Dad,” Noctis smirked a bit. “I just think they are both kind of taking it hard. My Dad really loves Luna a lot. So I understand.”

“So you told him about me?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah,” Noctis scratched the back of his head. “He was surprised. But he also thought we were cheating.”

“We kinda did,” Prompto frowned.

“No we didn't,” Noctis frowned back.

“You almost kissed me,” Prompto leaned in and looked back to see if anyone was listening. When he determined no one was, he went on. “You almost kissed me twice!”

“Doesn't count,” Noctis waved his hand.

“Yes it does!” Prompto was exasperated but stopped when he noticed their waiter bringing their food. Noctis looked upset but Prompto was too. When the waiter was very far away, Prompto was not going to let their conversation slide.

“It did count,” Prompto began to cut into his lobster loudly. “You wanted to kiss me and… if it didn't rain, would you have just kissed me? Would you have just…”

“No,” Noctis really did look upset now. “I just… well… I wasn't going to. That first time, I was just happy that we were getting along well. I hadn't been that happy in ages. So I thought if I kept you around, things would be different.” He paused. “I wasn't going to do anything that night.”

“You swear it,” Prompto had to be sure and it only took one nod from Noctis to stop those doubts.

“I am sorry,” Noctis looked at his plate and frowned even more. “I just didn't think.”

“Then we should just be upfront about things,” Prompto felt less hungry now. “Let's be honest. And I will start first: Honestly, I don't know if I can trust you.”

“I can work on that,” Noctis replied.

“What if you meet a better and more efficient model of me?” Prompto asked.

“Well,” Noctis sighed. “I doubt it.”

“It already happened to me though,” Prompto sighed.

“It won't happen,” Noctis did a slight nod and tried to eat. “It won't.”

“How can you be sure?” Prompto asked. He wanted to know after all.

“How about this,” Noctis seemed to give one of the chefs passing their table an evil glare but Prompto was not sure if he imagined it. “Let me be honest about something. Since that seems like what you want. Right?”

Prompto was not sure where Noctis was going with this but he nodded.

“Honestly,” Noctis finally gave up trying to eat around the vegetables that were by some mackerel on his plate. “I think… we should just you know…”

Noctis waved his hand and did the most bizarre grin Prompto had ever seen.

“What is this?” Prompto repeated the wave and the weird grin.

Noctis rolled his eyes. “We should have sex.”

Prompto was thankful he did not drink any water when Noctis said that. He was not expecting _that_ at all.

“WHAT??!!”

“LOOK,” Noctis raised his hands. “I think if we just do it, we will both know if there is anything there. But either way, both of us should not have gotten married. I was talking to my friends about it. They think that is what it is. We just need to do it and find out.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Prompto lied.

Noctis just _looked_ and him and Prompto felt his cheeks getting redder by the second. This date was already awful but Prompto understood that maybe Noctis was right. If they just fucked each other and it was terrible, he could live with that. They were both not ready to get married to their now ex-fiancés. So it would be perfect. Prompto thought it would be good. He could get laid (finally!) and at least they both wanted to.

“Your place or mine?” Prompto hoped his tone sounded kind of cocky but it probably sounded stupid.

“My place is kind of a mess right now,” Noctis winced.

“Okay then,” Prompto looked at his food. It was okay but not worth the money Noctis was spending on it. Finally, Noctis seemed to give up and just scrapped the vegetables that were on the rest of his mackerel. “You should know. I didn't sleep with Nyx because I told him I was saving that for the wedding night.” He paused. “And you are 5 years old.”

“Shut up,” Noctis replied. He gave up on the mackerel.

“Anyways,” Prompto sighed. “I left a perfectly nice older man that looks nice without his shirt on for you. Just sayin’.”

“I left the perfect woman for you,” Noctis looked too smug to be alive. “Just sayin’.”

“Why don't we get something else to eat,” Prompto huffed. “Not this.” He pointed at the food. “Something better.”

The waiter was around the corner and Noctis raised his hand and asked for the check. 

***

“That fish tasted like ass,” Prompto whined to no one. It was a hot and sticky night. Prompto wore on a nicer dress shirt and slacks. Every step that he took made the heat even more palpable. “Next time, I will pick!”

“How would you know what ass tastes like?” Noctis laughed.

It took Prompto a minute to wrap his head around that statement. His attempt to shove Noctis did not work. “There won't be a next time!”

“Don't be like that,” Noctis teased. “It was just a joke. A figure of speech.”

Prompto was close enough now to shove Noctis and did it. “Figure that out. You're still an ass.”

“Maybe tonight you will have a taste--”

“SHUT UP!!!”

Noctis laughed and laughed. Prompto was mad but he wasn't. They decided to just go to a bar and have bar food. Because the seafood was just that bad. And now Noctis was laughing and making sex jokes. In the bar, Prompto made seaman and fish jokes. So, of course, their banter would lead to this. At least Prompto could stomach this. It was better than the alternative of not having anyone there to joke with.

Since they had made the decision to walk back to Prompto’s apartment, there was some regret on Prompto’s part. He was a little bit tipsy, but nothing compared to that horrible day he saw the Asshole Ex. There was also their back and forth about sex. It was then that Prompto got scared. He hadn't had sex with anyone for three years. Prompto was intimidated by Noctis, in some respect, because it was going to be different. Noctis had been a straight relationship for a decade. It did make sense that Noctis’ friends would say it was an infatuation. They could probably do the deed and maybe they could live with the horrible things they had done? Prompto was not sure. He was also a little bit too tipsy to care at all.

They reaped what they sowed together.

So when Prompto did stop at the front of his building, and no one was around the dimly lit street. He looked at Noctis and was upset. They had done this all wrong. Prompto had become just like his Asshole Ex. He ruined multiple lives and there was 10 million dollar proof of it. Some childish part of him still wished that maybe he could have met Noctis while he backpacked before medical school. Prompto wished he could have met the younger man beside him. They could have saved face and it would not have been such a publicity nightmare for Noctis’ and Luna’s families. 

But they were both just human and just stupid idiots that fell in love.

Noctis’ hair was blowing in the slightly humid air. He was wearing a nice collared shirt with some slacks. He shaved and made some effort to look nice. Noctis was not the haggard mess from Prompto’s almost wedding. He looked good and Prompto, as mentioned previously, had not had sex in 3 years.

That was 3 years too long.

So when Prompto was able to get the front gate door open, he felt Noctis’ shoulders brush up against his own. The doctor walked a little too closely next to Prompto. The security guard gave both men a look only reserved for drunk idiots that were too brazen to call for a cab. 

In the elevator, Prompto felt Noctis hug him from behind when the doors closed. The physical contact was not something that Prompto refused at all. On the contrary, when he felt Noctis’ hands rub against his chest lightly, Prompto let out a sigh and he wondered how it took the elevator so long to get up to the floor. The metal creaks and the woman’s voice telling them that the doors would open soon put Prompto on high alert. They had not even kissed yet.

Prompto wanted to kiss Noctis so badly. 

“Which one’s yours?” Noctis asked from behind. Prompto just walked and tried to keep his cool. It was hard and something _else_ was getting hard from what Prompto could feel.

“Here,” Prompto sighed. He pointed to the door and fumbled through his keys again. Noctis was now kissing the back of his neck and Prompto _really_ could not focus now. He thought for a second that he lost the key, but he finally groaned when he found it. Noctis was pressing Prompto’s body against the door. Prompto tried to put the keys in and felt Noctis leave a bite mark against the back of his neck. With as much effort as he could muster, Prompto finally opened the door.

They both staggered in and Prompto finally… _finally_ kissed him. Noctis tasted like whiskey but Prompto didn't care. They were actually kissing each other. It was sloppy but Noctis kept touching Prompto’s face and grabbing onto his hair. In return, Prompto bit Noctis’ bottom lip and sucked on it while moving further into the apartment. Then, their kisses slowed down because they now had time. Prompto forgot to close the door behind them but he did not care. All that mattered was that they were kissing each other. Prompto sighed when Noctis would press against him. Noctis’ hands would brush against Prompto’s sides to reach into his pants. That hot bastard was trying to get Prompto’s tucked in shirt out and free.

But the door was still open and both men were well aware of that fact when Prompto heard someone cough.

Noctis turned around and Prompto saw that nice older looking neighbor couple grinning at both of them.

“Finally got a date there Mr. Prompto!” Mr. Velez smiled at Prompto.

Prompto, whose face had already been splotchy and red, felt his face get even hotter. He was so embarrassed but Noctis just laughed.

“Yeah!” Prompto took a deep breath and looked down. Then he decided to stand behind Noctis and give the couple a thumbs up. He had a… hot bastard doctor. “Got a date!”

“Close your door sweetheart,” Mrs. Velez coughed. “Wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself.”

“Don't worry,” Prompto sighed. “I will close the door.”

Noctis snickered while Prompto very gently closed the door. Prompto did not look at Noctis at all but when Prompto did finally decide to turn around, Noctis smiled at him. His lips were swollen and he still looked as attractive as ever. 

“Come on,” Noctis laughed. “ _Sweetheart_.”

“I swear to the Six,” Prompto grumbled. “Do not call me sweetheart ever again or I’ll—”

“—bedroom then?” Noctis was laughing again. “I don't really know where it is.”

“You idiot,” Prompto laughed. “How would you know?”

Prompto stopped and really looked at Noctis carefully. He thought that it was unfair. It really was. No one should be this charming but Prompto was determined to be cool and level-headed. The problem was that that Prompto was faltering with every step Noctis took. That hot bastard doctor’s head turned at the pictures Prompto put on the walls. Noctis was studying his apartment and even though Prompto was very much not sober, it was okay because he could be cool and level headed.

“You alphabetized your photo albums?” Noctis said in a bemused tone. There was a nice shelf by the living room that Prompto reorganized during his week off. He knew Noctis was making fun of him but he did not care. All he wanted to do was kiss that stupid face that was looking at him and smiled that stupid smile that Prompto was growing to love. 

“So?”

“I guess I can fire the maid now,” Noctis teased.

“Shut up,” Prompto hissed. With only a few steps, Prompto grabbed Noctis’ hand and led him down towards his bedroom. 

Prompto made a promise to himself then and there that if Noctis even _teased_ him with saying sweetheart, Prompto would stop it. 

The way Noctis was looking at him now though, maybe Prompto was wrong to take the week off. Because Noctis was too attractive and Prompto thought Noctis’ friends were wrong.

This was not a fling at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM BACK FROM JAPAN AND WITH A DOUBLE RELEASE!
> 
> Shoutout to the lovely @moonside for being a good person to throw ideas off of and just being an awesome person in general <3
> 
> I spent WAY too much money but I had a lot of fun! Now onto the much saucier next chapter!


	12. Cockiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sex and walks of shame to the flower tea shop...

This fling, or whatever the attraction was. It was easy. And Prompto loved it that way. It was all easy.

The way that Prompto’s clothes peeled off when Noctis lifted his shirt over his head. And the way Noctis said his name over and over again in his ear. It didn’t sound like his name anymore. It sounded like a mix between an apology and an “I love you.” It was the only thing that Noctis was able to say. The way that Noctis looked at him when Prompto was all naked and there was nothing else to hide. Prompto could not hide from Noctis anymore. Noctis could not hide from him either. Even when Prompto made a move to take off Noctis’ pants, Noctis swatted Prompto’s hand away. All of Noctis’ focus was now on Prompto.

Meanwhile, Prompto kept saying Noctis’ name but he didn’t know how it sounded like. Maybe it sounded like him begging for Noctis not to leave, but Prompto did not know.

All Prompto knew was that he loved the way Noctis bit into his neck. All Prompto knew was that he did not want Noctis to let go of him. He loved the way Noctis kissed his way down the chest. Maybe it was because they were both drunk and Prompto did not know how Noctis knew what parts of his body to touch. 

Noctis did not gawk at his stretch marks.

Noctis did not laugh or joke about anything.

He didn’t call him a sweetheart (thank the Gods).

How could he when Noctis was biting against his nipple and Prompto couldn’t do anything else but arc his back against the touch?

Prompto did not know how to say any other words except for Noctis.

There was just Noctis and Prompto was an idiot for forgetting all the other words in the world.

It got even worse when Noctis finally touched his dick and Prompto really forgot how to say anything else. 

“Faster?” Noctis asked. “What do you want?”

Prompto couldn’t think of anything else to say besides Noctis’ name. It was a good pace but not the pace that Prompto liked. Noctis was so slow. But Prompto did not seem to care. He had not been touched like this in 3 years and it had been _too_ long. So Noctis just kissed him and Prompto seemed to feel better. When Noctis started to play with the slit of his dick and bite down against Prompto’s chest, Prompto could not do anything else but whine. Prompto groaned when he felt Noctis experimenting with his balls before traveling back up. Noctis was now moving faster and would stop and tease Prompto with the slower strokes. Those strokes counterpointed with the kisses that Noctis would leave across Prompto’s chest. Soon enough, Noctis would not allow Prompto to breathe. Noctis kept kissing him and stroking Prompto fast and hard. Just the way Prompto liked it.

Prompto did not even have to ask for Noctis to keep going. They were finally in a good rhythm. It took a bit, but Prompto tried to find the right way to hold his breath but Noctis was good for helping Prompto along. Noctis kept kissing him and Prompto could not do anything else but whine and sigh as he felt the pressure build up in his stomach. It would only take a minute more. Maybe less.

“F-faster… hmmm... N-noct…”

That’s all Noctis needed as the sign to push harder. Prompto wanted to tell Noctis that he was glad that they were naked and panting into each other’s mouths. But Prompto could not form a coherent thought. He could not even form a phoneme. There were nothing there but sighs between them.

All that tension between them was at it's peak and Prompto loved it.

 _Finally_ , Prompto felt his vision white out for a moment. It took him a minute to come back from the high. He remembered how to breathe after he saw all the stars dance across his eyes. Noctis was still there when Prompto finally managed to catch his breath. 

He was still hot and a bastard. And a doctor but Prompto just could not help but laugh at Noctis.

“Sorry,” Prompto finally said. The words were hard to say after all of that. “You should clean that off.”

There was a bad stain on Noctis’ pants but none of them cared about that at the moment.

“As I said,” Noctis began. “You could be my maid. I can fire the one I have.”

“You are awful,” Prompto laughed. “Well... tomorrow is usually my laundry day.” He was giggling but it was so stupid. There was no regret now though. They had done the deed. Prompto should return the favor but all he could do was look at Noctis. The hot bastard was grinning at him and kissing his forehead.

“Are you sure,” Prompto began. “That you have never been with a guy?”

“Pretty sure,” Noctis laughed. “I did lots of research though. A week of research.”

“You are such a nerd,” Prompto laughed back. He finally took a look at Noctis and made a move toward Noctis’ pants. “We are going to do the walk of shame tomorrow.”

“I know,” Noctis grinned. “I have no clean pants.” Prompto was looping the belt buckle and moving his hands slowly to peel his pants off. “Can I borrow one of yours?”

“ _You_ are an ass,” Prompto giggled. “ _You_ are the worst.”

“Yeah,” Noctis kissed Prompto’s forehead again. “I know.”

“Your whiskey dick better work,” Prompto teased. Finally, Prompto was able to slip those pants off. And he entertained the thought of washing Noctis’ pants for maybe a second. But he didn’t want to do it now, of course.

“Oh shut up,” Noctis laughed. But Prompto pushed Noctis’ chest down against the bed. Prompto gave Noctis’’ dick a playful tug and straddled either side of Noctis’ thighs. 

“Hey,” Prompto moved closer to Noctis’ ear. “Noctis.” 

“Hmm,” Noctis sighed.

“I’m not like my Ex right?” Prompto felt silly for confessing this now or even trying to admit it. They were in the middle of having sex and this conversation should be for later but he was insecure about it all now. 

“You’re not,” Noctis took a deep breath. “You’re not…”

“I still feel bad,” Prompto admitted.

“Me too.”

Prompto watched Noctis squirm underneath him. It was obvious that they were talking too much for Noctis’ liking. But Prompto did not care. 

“Noct…”

“Yeah?”

“You can’t screw this up,” Prompto reasoned. “Or else…”

“Yeah I know,” Noctis sighed. “I said I wouldn’t.”

Prompto shifted a bit. He heard Noctis moan underneath him.

“I’ll leave if you do something I don’t like,” Prompto said firmly. “I mean it.”

There was a pause and Noctis looked Prompto dead in the eyes and grabbed Prompto’s face with both hands. 

“Yeah _I know_ ,” Noctis squinted at Prompto. “I gotta work… mmmhmm... for you.”

“Okay,” Prompto kissed him and hoped that maybe he’d feel less guilty. It was easier to do that when Noctis kissed Prompto back with more force than before. Prompto felt Noctis’ hands over his back and the light touches that danced down his spine.

Prompto took that as a cue to move down and kiss every part of Noctis that he could. Noctis couldn’t do anything but grab onto Prompto’s hair. In turn, Prompto grinned each time Noctis would grab onto certain strands of his hair. That only meant that Prompto should bite down harder. Noctis’ breathing started to become more uneven the further Prompto traveled down further.

It took everything in him not to giggle at Noctis’ splotchy face. But Noctis did notice him grinning while his cheek was against the ‘V’ shaped curve of Noctis’ right thigh.

“No whiskey dick,” Noctis grinned. “You’re welcome.”

“Shut up,” Prompto bit down again and really made sure that this one would leave a mark. Noctis finally groaned loudly when Prompto finally did start sucking on Noctis’ dick. Prompto hollowed his cheeks and looked up at Noctis to make sure he was getting the job done right. When Prompto stopped and backed off a bit (because he was feeling like being an ass), Noctis whined and Prompto laughed. 

“You did that to me earlier,” Prompto reasoned. Before Noctis could get a single word in, Prompto stroked down onto Noctis and made sure to put more pressure. Noctis stopped talking and stopped saying anything. He just sighed every time Prompto applied more of his tongue on the underside of Noctis’ dick.

When Prompto felt Noctis’ thighs start to shake a bit, he eased off a bit but Noctis had other ideas. Noctis pulled on Prompto’s shoulders and in for a deep kiss. Prompto kissed him back while doing the slow strokes that Noctis seemed to like. It was working as Prompto heard Noctis say his name over and over again. 

When Noctis arched his back and Prompto looked down, he felt Noctis’ come all over his stomach and hand. Noctis was sweaty and his eyes were heavy with a post-sex bliss.

Prompto grabbed some tissues from the bedside drawer and wiped his hand and Noctis’ stomach.

“So,” Prompto slowly crawled back to lay beside Noctis. He cautiously grabbed Noctis’ hand and put his leg over Noctis’ own. “Was that bad or alright?”

“That was,” Noctis was still trying to steady his breathing. “That was… _really good_.”

“Good,” Prompto smiled. “So I guess this is not a one and done thing.”

“I never thought it would be,” Noctis replied.

They both stared up at the ceiling and Prompto heard Noctis’ breathing get heavier and deeper.

“Noct…”

“What?”

“Is this an exclusive thing?” Prompto asked. “Because…”

“If you think I’m going to cheat on you,” Noctis began. “You’re wrong.”

“I know,” Prompto said softly. “I _know_... it’s just…”

“Yeah,” Noctis moved in closer. “That’s why I said I’d work for this. I know I haven’t been doing good at all. But I think I can do better.”

Prompto studied Noctis’ face and it seemed genuine enough. Prompto scooted in closer and so did Noctis. 

“Okay,” Prompto sighed.

“Okay,” Noctis mimicked back. “Your apartment is so nice.”

“Well,” Prompto put both hands around Noctis’ own. “I did have a lot of pent up sexual frustration. So I just used that to clean.”

“Good,” Noctis laughed. “I just used mine to sleep.”

“That’s no fun,” Prompto teased. He did not know how serious Noctis was, but he let it slide.

“You have work tomorrow Noct?” Prompto asked.

“Nope,” Noctis scooted in even more. “Even if I did, I’d call out sick anyways. I thought you weren’t going to call me. I really didn’t. But I’m glad you did.”

Prompto smiled and took a chance with their good moods now. “I am taking us to brunch tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Noctis yawned.

“Because you suck at picking restaurants,” Prompto teased.

“You know,” Noctis began. He laughed a bit before continuing. “You know who was good at sucking?” Prompto rolled his eyes and heard Noctis snort. This _fucking_ idiot.

“SHUT UP!!!” Prompto lightly shoved Noctis who just yawned and laughed.

It was like that for a while and soon enough, nothing comforted Prompto more than Noctis in his bed. Prompto forgot what it was like to have someone falling asleep with someone. It was even better that they were laughing together as they fell asleep.

***

“Do you want a Mickey Mouse shirt?” Prompto held up the shirt that was covered with rainbows and mickey mouse. “Or do you want the nike shirt with the hole?”

Noctis rolled his eyes but they were the only two Prompto knew would fit. Most of Prompto’s shirts were a small or small slim fits meanwhile Noctis preferred looser fitting shirts.

“I guess,” Noctis cocked his head. “The Mickey Mouse one.”

Prompto laughed and tossed the shirt in Noctis’ direction. 

“You will really like this place,” Prompto talked quickly while putting on a clean t-shirt. “They have flower french toast.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And the walls are covered with,” Prompto stopped himself and shook his head. “You’ll see when we get in there.”

“Alright,” Noctis yawned.

The only thing that they had to worry about was pants. Prompto and Noctis were the same size for pants but all of Prompto’s fits were slim. So nothing fit.

“I only have tights,” Prompto began. “I have these ones that are kinda loose?”

Noctis eyed them and looked upset.

“But,” Noctis frowned. “I don't know Prompto.”

“Look,” Prompto put on some leggings that he didn't like but he was not lying about it being laundry day. “If you had the presence of mind to take off your pants _before_ jerking me off, you would still have pants.”

Noctis said nothing. Instead, he looked Prompto dead in the eyes and put on the leggings that were way too tight for him. 

“I can see your balls from here,” Prompto snickered. It turned into a full on screech the more Noctis groaned in despair.

“SHUT UP PROMPTO!”

***

It was Prompto’s favorite restaurant but he was even more amused with Noctis’ walk and the way he sat down. Despite his awful wardrobe, Noctis was taking it all in. The walls were covered with vines and the wooden accents were complemented with hanging light bulbs that dangled over each table. It smelled like a combination of roses and hydrangeas and something else Prompto did not recognize. It must have been their new flower of the week. It was sylleblossoms and Prompto was smug for knowing the exact scent.

Noctis was even amused by the table that had flowers in vials that were expertly put into their table. Underneath the table, there was a view of even more succulents. Noctis was impressed and Prompto was glad that at the very least, he was impressed.

“I love it here,” Noctis finally said. The waiter handed them their menus and Prompto nodded at the teas that were being offered for the weeks. Prompto chose the sunflower tea while Noctis chose some green tea.

“Get the flower french toast,” Prompto hissed. “It’s famous and it’s what everyone comes here for.”

“Okay,” Noctis said dumbly. He continued to flip through the menu. “It looks really yummy.”

“It is,” Prompto winked.

The rest of the conversation was about Prompto knowing the owner and how a small forty person wedding fit into the restaurant for a reception. Noctis listened eagerly and did not say anything else. They both probably looked stupid and unprofessional but it was not like either of them cared. Noctis even tried to play footsie with Prompto but could not. He was blocked by the succulents. Prompto just laughed at him while Noctis tried to fix the gravel that fell on the floor.

When their food finally did arrive, Prompto watched Noctis to gauge his reaction. It was… exactly what he was expecting.

Noctis was frowning but he still looked like he wanted to eat the food. 

“I didn’t think,” Noctis was poking at one flower with his fork. “I didn’t actually think they’d put real flowers on the french toast.”

“Seriously?” Prompto was now looking on in disbelief as Noctis took each flower and one by one, removed them from the french toast. “It is called flower french toast. There were flowers in the picture.”

“I know,” Noctis whined. “But I can appreciate the effort.”

Prompto stopped eating and rubbed his temples. “At least let me eat them.”

Noctis took no time at all and put the flowers from his french toast on Prompto’s plate. It would have upset Prompto more if Noctis just threw them away but they didn’t do that. Instead, Noctis enjoyed the rest of his french toast and made no other complaints. 

Prompto had to think about whether he wanted to continue this but he was also pretty sure that last night was _really_ good. The build up of their attraction towards one another was palpable. Everyone knew that they liked each other. The only two people that were out of the loop for it all were Prompto and Noctis. 

So it was fitting that Prompto would be wearing his annual Lucis Marathon shirt without a care in the world meanwhile Noctis wore his very brightly colored Mickey Mouse t-shirt. They probably looked like idiots (and they were idiots) but they were too stupid to care. 

They were absolutely in love with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the double release!!! Thank you so much for your patience! I hope to get back to a regular updating schedule soon. Plus these boys just needed to have sex with each other because LORDT! That was long overdue. 
> 
> The tea shop I described is one based on something I went to in Japan. It is called the Aoyama Flower Market. Please go there if you have the opportunity to! It is stunning!!!
> 
> Anyways thank you and good night! Now I have to fix my jetlag and sleep schedule!


	13. Controlla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis is an asshole but he doesn't really care...

Noctis could hardly believe his luck. 

He thought about what Prompto had told him the very first night he was at the apartment. That second almost-kiss that was not a kiss. Noctis remembered that Prompto said he was lucky. Noctis did not believe it at the time but now he was starting to believe it. 

The week that Prompto did not call him and stayed away was something else. Noctis got an earful from everyone. Thankfully, he got some time off because he was supposed to go on a honeymoon. But now Noctis was set to go back to work around a week and a half earlier than expected. As much as Noctis wanted the extra time to wallow in just how bad he had let this get, he really did not want to think about it. As much as it killed him to admit it, it was probably better to go back to work. 

Since it seemed as though all of friends and family started to hate him, Noctis did the only thing that made sense. He slept.

Noctis honestly thought that Gladio and Ignis would never talk to him again. Because Ignis was right about it from the very beginning. This was, by far, the worst thing he had ever done. Those words sucked out any bit of happiness or relief he felt right after he talked to Luna. He did not feel like a good person. Now his face was all over twitter and facebook. Noctis had become public enemy number one. There really was no other competition. 

He had left the perfect woman. 

As Monday turned into Wednesday which became Friday, the more and more Noctis did not care. Gladio had reassured him that the public would fixate on something else the next week. Thankfully they did, because a crazy Mom and Dad were running an underground cult. So people stopped talking about him. Noctis could be one of those stories that people would recall later on and wonder what happened to him. That stupid asshole that left the perfect woman.

It bothered Noctis that they were not wrong at all.

When they walked back to Prompto’s apartment, Noctis started not to care as much about what anyone else thought. How could he when he watched Prompto take some photos on his phone? When Prompto got a good shot, he’d show Noctis and go back to take some more. Noctis was absolutely genuine every time he said that they were good. Because they were good. In fact, Noctis needed Prompto to give him positive vibes. It amazed Noctis that Prompto was happy about the way things turned out. Prompto called him and said that they should go on a date. Noctis was _so sure_ Prompto would never call him. Noctis was not worth calling. Even if Noctis meant every word that he told all the naysayers. He was in love with Prompto. He tried to tell anyone and everyone that would listen to him but they all thought he was stupid. 

“It’s an infatuation,” Ignis had told him.

“You just want what you can’t have,” Gladio had told him.

Noctis thought that _might_ be true. _Maybe_.

But it was hard to deny that there was an awkward but endearing grace that Noctis loved about Prompto. He was easy to read. Prompto told him when he was being an asshole. _No one_ else would do that to him. Prompto did not care that he was a doctor or that he had so much money. No one on this planet needed that kind of money. It felt so refreshing that Prompto knew exactly who he was and did not hesitate to tell Noctis what he needed to do. Luna had always put him on a pedestal. Ignis and Gladio had sugarcoated things for him. His Dad had always been proud of him but Noctis did not need that at this point in his life. Even his Dad telling him that he had screwed up post the non-wedding had been good for Noctis to hear. That kind of tough love was a thing that Noctis liked. Even when he did make a mistake at the hospital, at least he could improve later. That’s why he stayed to save others. He knew he could do better.

It was why Noctis had to improve. He just _had_ to.

Prompto was making him better. Even by taking him to a place he had never been before. He really did like the flower tea shop. The waitress was nice to him and even laughed at him when he gave the edible flowers to Prompto. Noctis even lied and said he was going to the restroom and went to the attached flower shop next door. He grabbed Prompto a nice bouquet they had and gave it to him. Noctis was passed the point of caring that he looked like an idiot. He had on tights that were too tight on him and a mickey mouse shirt. He was going to give an expensive bouquet to Prompto.

At this point in his life, even at the age of 30, he was surprisingly chill about the whole thing. He fell in love with a spazzy blonde wedding planner. It was great, in all honesty. Of course he’d fall in love with someone like Prompto.

Noctis felt lucky for the first time in his life.

He felt that way even now. _Especially now_. 

Prompto had one hand on Noctis’ shoulder. The nails were already leaving marks. In one ear, Noctis could hear him sighing while with the other hand, Prompto grabbed the headboard. They repeated the same thing from the night before. Noctis hugged him from behind and they almost turned on button to stop the elevator.

By they, Noctis meant Prompto who hesitated before saying “Absolutely not. No sex in the elevator.”

So now Prompto was straddled on top of Noctis and rolling those hips that Noctis loved along with everything else in front of him. Prompto was all lean muscle and splashed of freckles everywhere Noctis looked. It was a good view so Noctis let his hands slip lower down the small of Prompto’s back. Even when both of his hands grabbed Prompto’s ass, Noctis thought that would speed things along. But Prompto was keeping up with the pace that he had set at the beginning. He was going slow because, “I’m so rusty at this.”

Noctis just nodded because he had no clue what “rusty” meant. Prompto took control of the whole situation and now he was biting Noctis’ neck and moaning. For a split second, Noctis was worried about what everyone would say when he went back to work. He thought of the judgemental looks Ignis and Gladio would throw his way. He also did not care because he could tell them that this was not a fling. This was not some infatuation that would be gone after the bad publicity was over.

Maybe Noctis could be an asshole and just show them the hickey that Prompto was leaving on his neck at the moment.?

That could be his answer for everything.

Even now, Prompto just looking at him with those half-lidded eyes of his with the goofiest grin on his face. That could be the answer Noctis could show everyone. He was never going to though. This was the Prompto only Noctis could be privileged enough to see. Even after that whole mess that they had gotten themselves into. They were going to be _that_ couple that everyone hated.

And Noctis did not care.

Prompto probably did not care either by the way he was riding Noctis’ dick at the moment. All Noctis could do was look up and he saw Prompto smile and there was nothing else that mattered outside of them. Finally, Prompto grabbed Noctis’ face and stared at him, slowing his pace until it was just Prompto trying to catch his breath. Even under the light of the afternoon sun, Prompto’s freckles looked even more obvious to Noctis. Noctis knew he had it bad when he _really_ did want to count how many freckles Prompto had on his face. 

“H-hey Noct,” Prompto sighed. He bit his lip and Noctis just grinned. “Umm—”

Noctis lifted his hips just a bit upwards and Prompto arched his back with a moan to punctuate it.

“What?” Noctis teased. Prompto just let Noctis do that move again to him but Noctis could be patient. Plus he did want to know what Prompto wanted. “Y-yeah?”

“N-not fair,” Prompto whined. So Noctis just did it again and watched Prompto get even redder. Noctis looked down and noticed the pre-come coming out of his dick.

“What?” Noctis asked again. 

“H-ha…” Prompto breathed out. “H-harder…”

Noctis did not need to be told twice. He put his hands on Prompto’s back and pushed him down further. Noctis rearranged Prompto’s legs and made sure they were as close as they could be. Prompto just opened up to him and they _melted_ into each other. And Noctis just kept going. 

Prompto’s body twitched and his breathing became more erratic. Noctis could feel _it_ too, whatever _it_ was. So he just kept thrusting into Prompto and it was everything Noctis thought it would be. The way Prompto closed his eyes and looked at him with a still-shy look was too much for Noctis. So Noctis just kissed him and hoped that he could make Prompto feel good.

Noctis was lucky. 

Prompto was _too_ good for him.

So Noctis did what he could do. He moved his hips and when Prompto moaned even deeper, Noctis knew enough from his week of research that this was it. Noctis just kept hitting that spot and soon enough, he was feeling the loss of control. He took a deep breath and he could smell the faint aroma of Prompto’s cologne and everything in Prompto’s apartment was just what Noctis needed. So Noctis bit into Prompto’s chest and maybe that is what did it for Prompto. Maybe it was a combination of that and Noctis reaching down to stroke Prompto in time with the thrusts?

Whatever it was, Noctis just kept going.

He could feel the sheets coming undone on the bed and Prompto panting loudly. The hands that were on Noctis’ back were holding on for dear life as he kept moving. Noctis was _so_ close. And watching Prompto coming undone underneath him was _too_ much for Noctis. 

Prompto was everything to Noctis now. Noctis memorized Prompto coming and he grinned stupidly when he felt his own stomach become covered.

Somewhere in between Noctis hearing Prompto say his name and Prompto grabbing onto his face, Noctis stopped thrusting. He could not form a word. Prompto’s name probably sounded like he was speaking in tongues. All Noctis could do was close his eyes and try and catch his breath. 

When Noctis finally did open his eyes, Prompto was grinning at him. Prompto right: Noctis was lucky.

And he could not believe it.

***

The thing that woke Noctis up was Prompto on his laptop typing away at it. Noctis recognized the email client because he uses the same thing at work. It looked like Prompto was answering work emails. So Noctis turned over and hummed when he heard Prompto’s laugh. Prompto was still humming even after he shut the laptop.

“Hey,” Prompto said when Noctis had finally stopped moving. “I ordered a pizza. And I did my laundry and yours. But I ordered a pizza and it should be coming soon—”

Noctis heard an alarm buzz. Pizza did sound good though now.

“Okay,” Prompto hopped out of bed but from what Noctis could see, he winced slightly. “Wow… I am not 21 anymore.”

Noctis laughed but Prompto did too. Slowly, Prompto made his way towards the door and Noctis noticed that the sheets were different from the ones they had sex in. He wanted to tease Prompto about it but he just couldn’t. Besides, Prompto was in a baggy t-shirt that almost showed off all of his bare shoulders and some tight sweats that Noctis wanted to take off the next chance he got. 

But he was hungry so that had to wait.

“I just got half meat lovers,” Prompto opened the box. “And the other half is supreme.”

“How did you know?” Noctis yawned. He was dumbstruck but grateful. The flower french toast had been eaten hours and hours beforehand. Meat lovers sounded heavenly.

“Well,” Prompto sat down in the bed gingerly. “All the things you ordered for the catering dishes had lots of meat in it. I just had a hunch.”

“Oh,” Noctis said stupidly. He felt bad again but Prompto just handed him some napkins. The pizza did look good though. After checking the name of the pizza place, Noctis had never heard of it. But if Prompto knew this place was good, it was probably _really_ good. “Well, you were right.”

“Good,” Prompto grinned. He ate his pizza and looked at Noctis. He had a full mouth but a smile on his face. 

“Thanks Prompto,” Noctis said rather sheepishly. He felt stupid but was Noctis really that easy to read? Noctis wanted to ask Prompto that but he left it for another time. For now, they were just eating pizza and Prompto turned on the TV in the room to watch whatever was on.

On the trashy tabloid show Prompto stopped on, they were talking about those cult parents. For once, Noctis was glad he could just turn off his brain and not worry about what they had done. Sure, someday maybe he would have to confront Luna and maybe she would ask for the things that were in his apartment. He probably also deserved a sucker punch to the face from Ravus. He still felt like an asshole and Noctis was sure Prompto felt the same way.

But for now, they were going to be _that_ couple. At least tonight the spotlight was not on them.

***

Prompto managed to find some older clothes that he had that were to Noctis’ liking. So Noctis put those on while Prompto managed to find something on netflix. Noctis wanted to watch a documentary on something that was not too weird and/or awful. Prompto wanted to watch a romcom. So naturally, they watched Lethal Weapon.

“It’s kind of a mix between the two right?” Prompto laughed.

“I don’t think so,” Noctis said while he rolled his eyes. Maybe afterwards they could watch a documentary?

The movie was dated but at least it was something they were both enjoying. Noctis had inched his way closer and closer to Prompto and Prompto did not move away one bit. There was still a small part of Noctis that thought that would happen. Maybe Prompto would wise-up and see that this was not the best way for any couple to start a relationship? Thankfully, Prompto did not pull away. He just leaned in closer and Noctis did start kissing parts of Prompto that he wanted to memorize. Noctis started at that bare shoulder that showed off those freckles Prompto had and he heard Prompto hum.

In fact, he heard something that sounded like a very strong hum when he realized that it was Prompto’s phone. But Noctis did not care and neither did Prompto at the moment. So Noctis kept moving closer and closer until he reached Prompto’s neck. He started to suck on Prompto’s throat. There was some part of Noctis that wanted them to have matching hickeys together. It was a stupid thought but Prompto did not move away or tell him to stop. Noctis was beginning to bite down harder when the phone vibrated again. Noctis watched as Prompto looked at his phone but he frowned as it was turned over unceremoniously. 

“Who is that?” Noctis asked in Prompto’s ear. Prompto shook his head and instead met Noctis for another kiss. So Noctis kept kissing him and moving his hand lower towards the the waistband of Prompto’s sweats.

Then the phone rang again.

“Ugh,” Prompto grabbed the phone and gave Noctis a _look_. So Noctis pointedly ignored it and kissed Prompto’s neck again. “Hello?”

Noctis heard a gruff voice but it did not sound like anyone he knew. So he kept going and Prompto would breath a little deeper when Noctis would bite down harder than usual.

“The... d-date was great,” Prompto sighed. “He… hmmm…”

Noctis moved his hand until he moved down the elastic of Prompto’s sweats even further down. Prompto took a deep breath but he did not stop Noctis. In fact, Prompto still talked on the phone… but _really_ awkwardly.

“Y-yeah,” Prompto huffed. “I… ah… yeah…”

Noctis kept kissing the side of Prompto’s neck while he moved his hand to give a gentle squeeze to Prompto’s dick.

“Y-yes,” Prompto sighed. “Tomorrow…. Hmm… ahhh…. sounds good.”

Noctis moved his hand and stroked Prompto once and Noctis could not help but laugh a bit. Prompto’s face was absolutely red and he looked upset but turned on at the same time.

“Okay bye,” Prompto looked at the phone incredulously and made sure he hit the red end call button multiple times before tossing it off the bed. Noctis continued to stroke Prompto even through that. 

“Who was that?” Noctis asked. He kept up the slow pace and Prompto looked at him but laughed.

“D-dinner t-tomorrow,” Prompto moaned. “W-with… my Dad.”

_Oh._

Noctis stopped immediately and looked at Prompto apologetically. “Sorry.”

Prompto shoved Noctis but there was no effort behind it. In fact, Prompto just grinned and sighed. 

“You are an asshole,” Prompto giggled. “Pull it back tomorrow will ya? _Please_?”

“Sure,” Noctis grinned. “Anything else?”

“He said he wanted to meet you,” Prompto sighed. “Just be polite. Don’t be a smartass.”

“I won’t be,” Noctis said. He also wanted to say ‘If he is nice to me’ but he didn’t say that outloud. 

“He doesn’t think you are a real doctor,” Prompto laughed. 

“I went to school for 7 years,” Noctis frowned. “Well, technically 11 if you count undergrad…”

“He just doesn’t like you,” Prompto looked sad but he shook it off almost immediately. “I _get_ it…”

“Yeah,” Noctis did and didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe they should slow down a bit? Or maybe it would not be today, but a month from now that Noctis could no longer gloat to Ignis and Gladio. He would have to admit to his Dad that he was just an asshole and he should not be allowed to ruin anyone else’s life. At least Noctis had comfort in knowing with absolute confidence, that Luna would recover fast. She would marry someone who deserves her love. Noctis did not even know if he deserved Prompto’s love at the moment. But he was not going to refuse it now. 

“I’ll have your back,” Prompto said in a small voice. He coughed then straightened himself out. “I mean… if he is too much, just leave it to me.”

“Okay,” Noctis just nodded. There was nothing else to say. The truth was that Prompto was _too_ good for him and hopefully, Noctis could prove that he could be better.

“He also likes pasta,” Prompto cocked his eyebrows. “So… we will probably have that tomorrow. Just to smooth things over more.”

Noctis just smiled as a response. “Anything else?”

Prompto smiled back and looked at the TV. He looked back at Noctis then started to look at the bed. Noctis wondered what he was looking for but Noctis saw Prompto dangle the remote in front of Noctis’ face. 

“Maybe no more movies?” Prompto turned off the TV with a click. He then tossed the it like he tossed his phone. “We can always watch it later right?

“Sure,” Noctis began to nod but Prompto caught him in another kiss.

Prompto was very right: Noctis was lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH I KNOW! IT. IS. SAUCY!!! UR WELCOME! ^__^
> 
> The plan is to be back to regular updates. I outlined an end to this fic but it's not going to be anytime soon. I have a great masterplan to it. So hopefully that ends well. 
> 
> I am on twitter @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche.
> 
> Thanks as usual!


	14. Get It Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis is reprimanded by everyone...

It took a few moments but Noctis was blindsided by how dark the room was. He remembered that this was not his own room and that there was someone there. Prompto smelled different than he did the night before. Suddenly, Noctis remembered that Prompto enjoyed running. So it made sense that he went for a run and probably crawled back into bed after the fact. Confirmation from Noctis’ phone said as much. It was already 10 AM and he was still in bed. 

Prompto probably did a million other productive things and now he was just lying in bed. Noctis wanted to take a page from Prompto’s work ethic. Ignis suggested two private practices a few days ago that could hire him. But right now, all Noctis wanted to do was curl up against Prompto. He did just that, because that was easier. Noctis also thought of maybe going back to his apartment and trying to figure out which items belonged to Luna and which were his. It was hard though, because of just how long they had been together. Part of him just wanted her to ransack the place and take it all. He didn’t need anything except for his clothes, if he was being honest with himself. It scared him how much his apartment, in its current state, did not feel like his own. The living room was mostly Luna’s creation, with the designer furniture and the draped curtains that Noctis was indifferent to. When he stepped into the apartment after he stopped Prompto’s wedding, it didn’t feel like his place anymore. 

As stupid as it was, it did feel as though Prompto’s apartment was better and safer than his own. He didn’t feel like a stranger here. Noctis felt safe. Slowly, he steadied his breathing against Prompto’s body. It took a minute, but Noctis felt himself calming down some more. He would be okay if he just stayed here. Hopefully Prompto did not mind the extra heat pressed against him. 

They could just sleep here until they _had_ to get up.

Noctis had an angry father to impress.

***

Noctis tried his best to help Prompto around the apartment. He made an effort to vacuum and dust some of the shelves in the living room. Noctis even called Ignis so that he could give Prompto some pointers for things to add to the pasta sauce. Prompto, who was more than welcome to accept any help, was grateful for it. Noctis even thought the sauce tasted better when he gave it a test try. 

Prompto made Noctis go back to his apartment to find a better shirt to wear. Prompto had nothing to Noctis’ liking. So Noctis obliged even if it made him anxious. He just called up an uber and hurried over to the apartment. As soon as he got in, he heard other voices inside. 

It was his not-future brother in law, his not-future mother in law and his not-wife.

 _Shit_.

“Noctis?” Luna asked. She looked embarrassed but straightened herself a bit more. “Sorry, I tried to call you? I assume you didn’t check your phone?”

Noctis looked down at his phone and felt some hurried footsteps come towards him quickly. Sure enough, there was a message there from Luna. When Noctis looked up, there was Ravus, who looked like he had zeroed in on his prey. 

_Shit_.

“You can’t check your stupid phone?” Ravus sneered. Noctis took a step back as he held his hands up. Ravus looked furious. “We just wanted to get her things, you little fucking bastard.”

Noctis winced but did not answer at first. He did not want to see this at all. Sylva looked at him with a mixture of sadness and anger. Luna looked sad as well. Ravus just looked angry.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis tried to steady himself. “I just wanted to get some clothes.”

The three of them looked at each other. Noctis tried to inch his way towards his room. It seemed, in Noctis’ opinion anyways, that they were deciding whether or not to be cordial to him.

“I know none of you want to see me now,” Noctis continued to move. Which was for the best because Ravus was following him like a coeurl. “But I didn’t check my phone. I just need shirts and then you can never see me again. I’d be okay with that.”

Luna frowned but Sylva looked as though she found that answer acceptable. 

Noctis continued to go around the living room. He was almost in the hallway that would lead to the clothes he wanted.

“Noctis can I talk to you?” Luna said gloomily. Her brother and mother looked surprised, but Luna was already walking towards their bedroom and Noctis did not need another hint. He just followed her. He tried to gauge the situation as it stood. Noctis thought he could be civil. If Luna wanted the apartment, she could have it. She could have everything in there. He didn’t care, but he thought that was the least she could have after the shitstorm he caused.

Luna closed the door and looked at him curiously. “Where have you been?”

“Umm,” Noctis hit his thigh with his right fist. He gazed at her and sighed. Noctis was not going to lie. “I was at Prompto’s apartment.”

Luna nodded but had a weary look on her face. “That was fast.” 

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said. He was not getting tired of saying that phrase. Noctis really was sorry.

“Mother has other men,” Luna smiled. “And _women_...” Noctis nodded and tried to smile but that was hard to do. At least she was trying to lighten the mood. “That I could date. But I think it would be good not to date anyone at the moment.”

“No one is good enough for you Luna,” Noctis said. That was obvious from his perspective.

“Yeah,” Luna smiled. “You are probably right.”

“At least I got one thing right,” Noctis sighed. “Look Luna.” He paused and looked around. “If you want the place, go ahead. I think the lease ends in two weeks. I can take my name off. I just really want my clothes…”

Luna looked at his closet and then back at him. “You are going to move in with Prompto already?”

“No,” Noctis shook his head. “ _Absolutely not_.”

“Oh Noctis,” Luna sat on the bed and looked at him while shaking her head. “I feel so… out of touch with everything. They didn’t have this kind of texting and all these dating apps when we first started dating. Now, I feel like I have to do it all over again. That… sucks.”

“I know,” Noctis sighed. “I don’t know anyone good for you either. Otherwise I’d put in a good word about you. I guess that’s why I didn’t say anything for a long time. I didn’t want to lose you, you were really good to me.”

“And you were too Noctis,” Luna smiled sadly. “Keep the apartment. I’m going to move back to Tenebrea with my Mom. Although, Ravus is going to stay here.”

“If he wants to sucker punch me in the face,” Noctis began. “He is more than welcome to. I deserve it.”

“Please don’t let him do that,” Luna laughed. “He’s been wanting to do that for years.”

“But now he has a good excuse,” Noctis said feeling even more stupid. “Hell, if I were him, I’d kicked my ass and left me in a dumpster to rot downtown.”

“Don’t give him ideas,” Luna teased. She stood up and opened the closet. The right side was hers, which remained closed. The left side had a few dress shirts of Noctis’ as well as some scrubs that he had for work. There were also some longer sleeved dress shirts, which oddly enough, Luna handed to him. 

“But Luna?” Noctis looked at it, utterly confused.

“You never gave me neck hickies,” Luna shook her head at Noctis and finally it clicked. Noctis grabbed his neck on instinct, as though that would hide them. “At least, not since college Noctis. You are going to be 31 in a few months, at least you should improve on your techniques…” She giggled and Noctis just took the shirt. 

“Where are you guys going?” Luna asked. She pulled out some slacks and some other dress shoes that Noctis liked. “Seems important, because I know you would never come here. You would just go buy more clothes.”

“I’m having dinner with Prompto’s dad,” Noctis sighed. “He hates me. Which means, that I am _really_ looking forward to this.”

Luna laughed but she handed him a few more items. “Do me a favor Noctis?”

Noctis eyed her wearily but nodded.

“He likes you,” Luna grinned. “He is probably in love with you. That much was very obvious in retrospect. So just, make sure that you treat him well.”

“I will,” Noctis took a deep breath. He had to treat Prompto well. Otherwise, it would just be all for nothing.

***

Ravus eyed Noctis and his enormous pile of clothing. Noctis decided to have a snack before he left. Luna and Sylva were in the living room taking notes on the furniture. 

“Listen to me Noctis,” Ravus finally approached Noctis and squeezed his shoulder really tightly. Noctis could not do anything and did not want to. Ravus’ hands were caught in a tight grip and Noctis tried his best to smile at Sylva and Luna. “I don’t hate you… in fact… I think that you doing this to my sister was for the best…”

“Uh huh,” Noctis winced. It was now starting to hurt…

“Now I don’t have to worry about her,” Ravus shook his head at Noctis. He paused to give a knowing glance to Luna. “... you would have ruined her life.”

Noctis nodded and it was not as though he disagreed. 

“Imagine if you two had children?” Ravus’ thumb was not pinching into Noctis’ shoulder blades. “They would have been hellish brats.”

Noctis took a deep breath and tried not to laugh, but it was hurting.

“As much as you love that skinny boy,” Ravus now moved his hand lower and took a tight grip on Noctis’ bicep. As much as Noctis wanted to shove him off, he did not do it. “And as much as I hate your spineless and pathetic ass… I think it’s great. You are going to ruin Prompto’s life. And I hope you two are both miserable together.”

It was now, that Noctis got upset. At first it was funny, but now, Noctis had to defend Prompto.

“We aren’t going to be miserable,” Noctis gritted his teeth. He tried to break out of the death grip but Noctis couldn’t. “I already told Luna I’d stay away from her. So you are getting everything you want.”

Ravus just gave Noctis a smirk. And finally, the punch that Noctis was expecting, came. He totally saw it coming and Noctis did not move a muscle. It hit him right in the side of the face. _It hurt like hell_. Somewhere in the living room, Noctis heard Sylva and Luna both yell out Ravus’ name while he gave a triumphant yell. Thankfully, the pile of clothes remained unmoved from Noctis’ arms and he just stared at Ravus who looked like a 7 year-old that won a fight on the playground. Noctis had absolutely no desire to fight back. If he was going to face Prompto’s father with a nasty bruise on his face, maybe that would be penance for this situation. 

When Noctis finally did look at Luna, she was stunned. Both hands were cupping her mouth and Sylva looked at though she was going to hit Ravus herself. 

“I deserved that,” Noctis said in a bewildered voice. “So umm… I’ll just go.”

Noctis just hurried out and did not stop when they all told him to stop. He had never been in a fight nor been punched in the face before.

But Noctis was not lying. 

He did deserve that punch and as Noctis got into the uber back to Prompto’s apartment, Noctis felt a swell of relief hit his body. Noctis felt like a new man and hopefully things would go well during dinner.

***

“Who the fuck hit you?” Prompto looked frazzled but Noctis still thought he looked handsome as hell. Noctis noticed that Prompto had put on some blush and something shimmery to his face. Prompto had a bag of peas pressed to Noctis’ face. “Did you get jumped?”

“No,” Noctis winced a bit. “I let Ravus hit me.”

Prompto looked at Noctis like he was crazy. “What?”

“Luna, Ravus and Ms. Sylva were at the apartment,” Noctis began. “Luna and I sorted some things out. Which was good. And then when I was going to leave, I let Ravus hit me in the face.”

Prompto looked upset but he furrowed his brows any ways. “ _Why_?”

“I deserved it Prompto,” Noctis reasoned. “Besides, you have all that stuff on your face?”

Prompto scrunched up his face. “Stuff?”

Noctis made a sweeping motion with his hands. “... you know… makeup?”

Prompto laughed and applied the frozen bag right back onto Noctis’ face. “That’s not going to work.”

“Why not?” Noctis frowned.

“Well,” Prompto laughed. “I have a warm undertone to my skin. You have a cool undertone. So even if we were the same shade, it would not look good.”

Noctis replayed the explanation a few times in his head and tried to make sense of it. “ _Okay_.”

“That means,” Prompto looked at the pile of shirts. “You need to wear a turtleneck or something with a high neck.”

Noctis sighed. He only had one of those shirts and it was not a particular favorite of his. Despite that, he grabbed the shirt and was jealous that Prompto was expertly able to cover up the rather large hickey that Noctis had left the night before.

“Sorry Noct,” Prompto giggled. “He’ll be here soon, so you better get changed.”

Noctis started to pray to the 6 and anyone else in the universe that would make this dinner go well.

He was going to need it.

 

***

Things were not going well.

 _At all_.

Prompto worked out the seating arrangement beforehand but Cor ignored it and inched up his chair closer to Prompto. The entire time as they exchanged inside jokes to one another and Noctis just looked on while eating the pasta. It tasted good but he felt like a stranger at the table. Prompto did his best to provide segways for Noctis to talk. However, Cor changed the subject right away.

Cor made fun of the sucker punch on Noctis’ face. When Noctis explained what happened, Cor said he wanted to buy Ravus a drink. Prompto’s makeup was beginning to falter and Noctis noticed it right away. They were both coming apart at the seams. 

“Prompto tells me you are a doctor,” Cor said finally. Prompto looked happy because Noctis was finally being included.

“Yes sir,” Noctis cleared his throat and started his speech. It was one that he used at fancy dinners that he attended with his own father. “I graduated from the University of Insomnia Magna Cum Laude with a 3.87 GPA. After I finished undergrad, I went backpacking through the Lucian countryside for about a year and a half. When I returned, I applied for the Tenebrae College of Medicine. That is where I finally settled down with my now ex-fiance Luna. Umm…” Noctis squinted at Cor and realized his mistake but recovered quickly. “So I did my first four years there and then I accepted my medical internship at Insomnia General. That’s where I met your son. But my speciality is in neuroscience. That’s the study of the brain. I have also done two clinical trials for experimental treatments for people with Alzheimer's and dementia. I am in the middle of one now. And I am supposed to get another case study published soon…”

Cor just stared at him.

So did Prompto, but it was more of a stare of admiration. 

Cor just looked so _unimpressed_ with him.

“So answer me this then,” Cor began. Noctis nodded and waited for Cor to eat him alive. “If you have all of those fancy degrees and you are as smart as your university transcripts claim you are, why are you such a stupid idiot?”

Noctis just nodded and had no answer for Cor.

“Dad,” Prompto sighed. “Do you want him to cure cancer or something?”

“Of course not,” Cor said with a huff. “I would just thinking a goddamn doctor would be able to know not to cheat on his fiancé with my son.”

“I didn’t cheat on her,” Noctis said quietly.

“Then how come you were flirting with Prompto?” Cor asked as he turned towards Prompto. “Look, I know my son is a catch. But he is a good person, and even though you are smart.” Cor used air-quotes for smart. “I just feel like you are making my son into an idiot.”

“Dad,” Prompto whined. “I know that this did not have the best start. But he cares about me.”

“You are just _thinking_ he cares about you,” Cor said while maintaining eye contact with Prompto. “You have known him for how long? A few months? That isn’t love, you two are just caught up in this fling.”

“This isn’t a fling,” Noctis said with anger. “ _Sir._ ”

“You weren’t here,” Cor said dangerously. “When that first man left my son, I told Prompto to never let his guard down. And thankfully he hasn’t.” Cor turned to Prompto. “I don’t care if you marry an ice cream man Prompto, as long as he treats you with respect.” Then Cor looked at Noctis. “I don’t give a _fuck_ if you are a doctor. So far, I have not been impressed at all.”

Noctis really wanted to defend himself but he couldn’t. He had a bruise on his face that was probably going to look worse tomorrow. He had hickies and a shirt on that he did not enjoy to wear. He was being yelled at by a man that was absolutely right. If Prompto married some ice cream man, maybe he would be happier because who hated ice cream? Everyone hated _him_ , and as much as Noctis wanted to say it did not bother him, it did. 

“Dad stop it,” Prompto stood up out of his chair. “We didn’t do anything physical meanwhile I was planning the wedding. I would _never_ do that to Luna. It just happened, and as much as I hated it, I did my job and Noctis was the one that called off the wedding.”

“Someone needs to tell you two that you are both idiots,” Cor grumbled. “You two are already 30 right?”

Noctis nodded and saw Prompto do the same thing.

“This is _not_ acceptable,” Cor said with a wave of his hands. “Just know this.” Cor pointed one finger at Noctis and waved it. “If I find out that you have left Prompto, I don’t care if I am on life support…” Cor took a deep breath. “I will come back from whatever coma I am in, and I will beat the shit out of you.” He took another deep breath. “And if I am dead, I am going to haunt your stupid ass while you go out and cheat with a nurse or whatever you doctors do to get your kicks.”

Noctis just nodded along. He really did want to argue back but he promised Prompto that he wouldn’t.

“Ridiculous,” Cor sighed. “You two don’t love each other. You two just love the idea that you are together now.” He paused and looked at Noctis’ neck even further before squinting at Prompto. “Please don’t tell me that you two…”

Prompto covered his face and Noctis just tried to brace himself for _that_ conversation.

“Yes Dad,” Prompto was still standing up. As though that gave him any leverage at all. “ _I slept with him_.”

Cor groaned and looked disgusted but Prompto was not done.

“ _And I liked it_ ,” Prompto half-yelled.

Noctis looked on in horror. In fact he did not make any sudden movements. Cor and Prompto were now shooting daggers at one another.

“Prompto please,” Noctis could feel his face getting even redder by the second. “Don’t talk about us doing it.”

“No I am sick of this,” Prompto began. “You already said it Dad. We are both 30. We both did this and I am going to live with the fact that I broke up someone’s engagement. I am okay with it. It took me _a while_ to accept that, but I am okay with it now.” Prompto looked at Noctis. “I didn’t want to fall in love like this… _obviously_ … but I did. I can’t do anything about it now.”

“Yes you can!” Cor yelled back. “You should go back to work and try and focus on that.”

“I have been focusing on that for _years_!” Prompto yelled. “Noctis has been good to me so far. And I already told him if he screws up even once, I’m going to leave him.”

“He did say that,” Noctis interrupted. 

“Prompto,” Cor was trying to calm down his son but Prompto looked too upset to listen. “Prompto listen to me.”

Prompto was now pacing around on his side of the kitchen table. “Not all of us can have the _perfect_ love story with the _perfect_ marriage and the _perfect_ engagement. I can’t be like you Dad. If this is what it is for me, I’m okay with it.”

“That’s not it Prompto,” Cor was trying to reason with him. “You deserve someone who is honest to you. You deserve someone that treats you with respect. You deserve someone that is kind to you. So far,” Cor pointed to Noctis. “He has done none of those things. He has lied to you, he has disrespected you and the promise he made to his fiancé. You think just because the sex is good that it means he can be kind to you? If something happens to you, will he stick by you? Your mother stood by me and vice versa. Anyone can be kind but so far, how do you _know_ he is being genuine through all of this? He was already cheating with you Prompto! You might not have been having sex but you two were still cheating!”

Noctis wanted to argue back. He really did. But Cor was right. 

“I’m sorry Prompto,” Cor tried to calm down because Prompto looked on the verge of tears. “But even though you think you know it all, I am only telling you this because I care about you. I don’t care about him.” Cor looked in Noctis’ direction. “I only want what is best for you, and I don’t know if this is it right now.”

Prompto was crying now and Noctis had no idea how to fix this. 

Cor made an attempt to stand up and try and hug Prompto but Prompto just ran down the hallway and into his bedroom. Noctis looked at Cor and made no attempt to be a smartass or to be anything really. He just stared at Cor who was now calling for a friend to pick him up. Noctis felt like he was going to burst into tears or just yell at how terrible this whole situation was. Now the bruise on his face hurt less than what Cor just told him. 

He was an asshole. The worst asshole in the world. 

“I know you don’t want to hear it,” Cor said once he hung the phone. “But you need to hear the truth from someone.”

Noctis didn’t make a move or try to acknowledge anything Cor had said. He just stared numbly at his forgotten plate of pasta and did not do anything else. Even as the door shut and Noctis continued to hear Prompto crying, he had no idea how to fix it. 

Noctis tried to take a deep breath and figure out what to do.

The first thing he _had_ to do was go to Prompto and try and comfort him somehow. Or if Prompto wanted him to leave, he could do that too. Whatever Prompto needed him to do, he could do it.

This was his fault and Noctis knew this. He _had_ to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the angst! But it is there! Don't worry everything will start looking up soon!


	15. Love on the Brain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto learns to forgive himself...

Prompto felt sick to his stomach. All of the mistakes he and Noctis had made so far were now painfully obvious. Even if Prompto did stop all of the times that they were going to cross the line, he realized that they were already crossed from the get-go. He should have just told Aranea he would not do the job and at least that way, his hands were clean. There was nothing he could do about it now. They were both in this mess together and Prompto would have been devastated if he and his father never saw eye to eye on this.

His father hated Noctis. 

His father was _absolutely_ right to hate the two of them. 

Prompto wiped away his face a bit and heard a knock on the door.

“Prompto?”

Prompto did not move but felt the tears coming again.

“I’m going to come in Prompto.”

With a small creak, Prompto saw Noctis come in the door and he looked shaken to the core. Prompto missed whatever else his father might have told Noctis. It looked bad because Noctis looked apologetic. 

“D-don’t l-leave,” Prompto croaked out.

Noctis did not leave, but he did look around the room. He grabbed some tissues that were on the bedside table. He also went into Prompto’s restroom and Prompto heard him rummage for something in the drawers. When Noctis finally did come back, Prompto wiped his face again.

When he crouched down, Noctis was smiling softly at him. “This one is for your makeup,” Noctis was holding the makeup wipes in front of Prompto’s face. He had the box of tissues in the other hand. “This one.” Noctis bounced the box of tissues in his hand. “This one is for you crying so much.”

Prompto, could not help it, but he laughed. When he did look at his hands, Prompto noticed the smeared highlighter stains on the back of his hand and the brown mascara that was watering in his palms. It was silly and Prompto just took two of the makeup sheets and cleaned himself up. Noctis looked at him the whole time and grabbed a trash can so that Prompto could get rid of everything. 

“Better?” Noctis asked. “Umm…”

Prompto seemed to have calmed down a bit and finally looked at Noctis with a sigh of relief.

“What did he tell you?” Prompto asked.

“Well,” Noctis frowned. “Everything he said was right.”

“I guess,” Prompto sighed. “I mean… I know this is a lot.”

Noctis nodded. “Yeah, well I was going to ask if you wanted me to go.”

“No!” Prompto shook his head. “No… just stay... please.”

“I just feel like,” Noctis scratched the back of his head. “I feel like I need to make this right. And I know if I might never make it right with a lot of people. Even with you.”

Prompto shook his head. “No Noct, I just… it’ll be fine. I just want things between us to be okay. I want to date you and just… we’ll see what happens.”

Noctis nodded and finally sat down next to Prompto. 

“As long as you want me,” Noctis said softly. “I’ll stay.”

“That’s all I want,” Prompto moved closer and Noctis hugged him. It was one of those awkward sideways hugs and they were on the floor but Prompto did not care. Noctis was hugging him and Prompto did not want him to leave. But Noctis was not going to leave. He just held onto him until Prompto finally calmed down a bit more.

***

It was awkward when Prompto finally did go back to work.

It was even more awkward when Prompto tried to talk to his Dad. But whereas his father kept their conversations short and to the point, work was something else entirely. 

Everyone was giving him the stink eye except for Aranea and Cindy. So Prompto just ignored everyone and tried to get back into the swing of things.

He tried to stick to his paperwork and looked at the invoices for the failed wedding. He was sad about it and looked almost longingly at the pictures and things that would have been used for the wedding. Everything he did for the wedding was less so for him, but moreso for his clients. It was then that he realized what he had to do. 

The top invoice had Luna’s cell phone number and Prompto cleared his throat and knew what he had to do.

He picked up the work phone and punched in Luna’s cell phone number. Prompto had no idea what he was going to say but he just knew he had to apologize. 

“Hello?” Luna’s voice was bright on the other end. “Who is this?”

“It’s me,” Prompto stammered. “It’s Prompto…”

“Oh,” Luna’s tone of voice changed a bit, but she recovered immediately. “Hey Prompto.”

“Look Luna,” Prompto began. “Are you busy? I can call back later but I just wanted to apologize.”

“I’m not,” Luna laughed a bit. “I’m available for a bit.”

“Good,” Prompto sighed. “Look Luna. I… I probably should have told you from the get-go about Noctis. I don’t know how much Noctis has told you. I just… I feel really bad for how this turned out.”

“I know,” Luna sighed. “I’m sad about it too. If he just told me he was unhappy, I would have just ended it.”

“Yeah,” Prompto matched her own sigh. “But you didn’t deserve any of that. I was stupid and I regret not letting my boss plan your wedding.”

“It’s not that Prompto,” Luna interrupted. “It’s not that _at all_. We became different people. And we can’t go back to that. If he knew he was unhappy, he should have told me. Or just anyone that he wasn’t happy. Even if your boss _did_ plan the wedding, the problems wouldn’t have gone away.”

“You’re right,” Prompto nodded. “Yeah, I just regret a lot of things. I thought I was better than this.”

“Well,” Luna coughed but maintained a cool tone on the phone. “Prompto… I know you are just in love with Noctis and I get it. Believe me, _I get it_... but I told him to make sure not to screw up whatever you two have.”

“You did?” Prompto was shocked. “Really?”

“Yes!” Luna exclaimed. “Look, I’ve accepted that maybe we would have tried to make it work for a few years and I would have gotten sick of everything or maybe he would have gotten sick of everything. I don’t know Prompto. We don’t know anything about the future and that’s scary.”

“Yeah,” Prompto agreed. “My Dad hates him. And that scares me to be honest.”

“To be fair,” Luna giggled. “My family always hated him. He was rude and never said much when I re-introduced him to my brother. It was before he went backpacking through the Lucian countryside. They all thought he was wasting his time. But when he came back, he seemed happier, so I knew it was probably one of the best things he did. My family thought he was getting away from me, and he was... But I think after that we were better. But my family was right.”

Prompto was afraid of that. “For once, I don’t want my Dad to be right.”

“You’re Dad isn’t a fortune teller Prompto,” Luna teased. “He is just your Dad. He just wants you to have the best things.”

“I know,” Prompto sighed. “I know that I want to do more or just try and make this up to you but I can’t do that. I don’t even know if you want me to do that. But I just wanted to call you and apologize because I have been feeling bad about this the whole time.”

“It’s okay Prompto,” Luna’s voice was bright. “I accept your apology.”

Prompto felt a wave of relief hit him suddenly. “Thank you.”

“I hope things go well for you two,” Luna said. “I’m going to move back home with my Mom for a bit.”

“I don’t really know anyone in Tenebrae,” Prompto began. “But if I did… I probably would say you should not date them. You’re a good person Luna.”

She laughed. “Thanks Prompto.”

After saying their goodbyes, Cindy knocked on his door. Prompto smiled weakly at her and she just looked at him sadly.

“You doin’ the apology train now?” Cindy asked.

“Yeah,” Prompto sighed. “At least Luna doesn’t hate me. But I think I should say something to Nyx. But I think he probably deserves a better apology.”

“Well,” Cindy smiled. “Ya didn’t really give him one on the wedding day. But it was a kinda crazy day, ya know?”

“Ugh,” Prompto rubbed his forehead with his hands and sighed. “Yeah… but I’ll do it later on today. At least Luna doesn’t hate me. Thank the Six.”

“That’s good Prompto,” Cindy smiled. “Look ya want some advice? Since ya have listened to none of my advice since this has happened.”

Prompto groaned but he straightened up in his seat and listened. Once Cindy sat down in front of Prompto, she cleared her throat and smiled at him.

“Prompto.”

“Yes Cindy.”

She smiled widely. “You need to stop thinking about what everybody else thinks.”

“But,” Prompto frowned. “That’s my whole job. Just listening to what everyone else wants and doing what they want. If I didn’t do that, I’d get fired.”

“Prompto,” Cindy shook her head. “Not about the job. I’m talking about my best friend Prompto.That self-sacrificing dude who always spends too much time focused on what everyone is thinking about him. So what if your Dad hates Noctis? I don’t like him much either… but who cares?”

“I care!” Prompto said indignantly. “Your opinions matter.”

“But ya love him Prompto,” Cindy reasoned. She shook her head and giggled. “Who cares what we think. You love him. You wrecked a whole two weddings for him. And he loves you. So I don’t know why ya _have_ to listen to us.”

“But Cindy,” Prompto was sad now. “If my Dad hates him and never accepts him... I don’t know if I’ll really be happy with what we did. We really fucked up, you know?”

“I don’t think so. You predicted it wouldn’t last Prompto.”

Prompto looked at Cindy, utterly confused. “What?”

“She chose that stupid song,” Cindy grinned. “‘I honestly love you’ remember? That wasn’t going to last. So I guess here is what I am asking you Prompto: What’s the best song to pick? I know you already picked it. For you and the hot bastard doctor.”

Prompto felt as though he was blushing really badly. The longer he stared at her, the worse he began to sweat. 

“Oh you know,” Prompto shrugged his arms. “Something called that is none of your business and _no_ I have not picked out a song!”

“You are such a bad liar,” Cindy laughed. 

“Shut up,” Prompto huffed before crossing his arms.

“See Prompto,” Cindy laughed. “You already know this is going to last because you have it in your head already.”

“Well,” Prompto smiled sadly. “I picked Endless Love for my almost marriage with the asshole. And it didn’t work out. That was my number one song. So… I don’t know what I’d pick… I don’t even want to pick anything! We barely have done anything together. You know...”

Prompto swallowed and took a deep breath. Cindy checked to make sure that the door was closed before narrowing her eyes at Prompto.

“So you slept with him already!” Cindy cackled.

“UMM!” Prompto covered his face. “NO!”

“YOU DID PROMPTO!”

Prompto refused to answer and shook his head. He was not going to look at Cindy. 

“Look Hon,” Cindy teased. “I am just saying... If you are as sure as I _think_ you are about this… you will be fine. And I am going to figure out that song.”

Prompto finally looked at her, sliding his hands off his face. “You’re not going to.”

Of course Prompto had his song ready. He was _so_ sure of it, he never recommended it to any couple. But he thought if he and Noctis ever got to that point…

 _No_... Prompto shook that idea out of his head right away. Nope nope nope nope.

No.

Not a chance.

Nope.

***

Noctis had gone to work too. But he was also job hunting, so that made things a little better when Prompto did come home. He was able to clean and things seemed back to normal. The only problem was that Noctis was not here. Prompto, who had never felt too lonely in his apartment, felt the pang of loneliness. Having Noctis there every morning and before he went to sleep was _so_ nice. The sex was also nice but… Prompto was not that hung up about it.

He honestly wasn’t! (He totally was!)

In fact, Prompto finally fessed up before the end of the workday after Cindy continued to pester him. It was _very_ good. Cindy just laughed until she walked in the direction of her apartment.

So Prompto waited until Noctis called him much later that night. An hour before Prompto attempted to go to bed, Noctis called and said he was on his way to the apartment. Prompto told him to come over. Prompto was looking forward to it because he wanted to see Noctis. Even if he just saw him less than 12 hours beforehand, he wanted to see him again.

His father called him earlier and kept the conversation short and Prompto was grateful for it. It still hurt a bit, but Prompto figured that time would heal whatever hang ups that his father had. Prompto knew that his father only wanted the best for him. So time would be the thing that would help them.

Prompto also figured there was enough time in between him not marrying Nyx, to give Nyx a quick call. 

So Prompto, very calmly (after about 15 minutes of staring at Nyx’s contact information), called him. When the phone continued to ring, Prompto, for a horrifying few seconds, thought it would go to voicemail. But it didn’t.

“Hey,” Nyx’s voice sounded sad over the phone but Prompto coughed a bit.

“Hey,” Prompto said a little too jovially. “Umm if you are not busy, I want to talk to you.” He paused. “I wanted to apologize.”

“You don’t have to Prompto,” Nyx laughed a bit. “I understand. I didn’t really think about it until a few days later. I shouldn’t have asked you so fast.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said quietly. “I didn’t want to think about it I think? I had a lot on my mind.”

“I get it,” Nyx chuckled. “I mean, I’m sorry I just kind of… went with it. I just thought we were getting along so well, that it shouldn’t have gotten that far.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said stupidly. “I mean, it was still shitty what I did to you.”

“It’s honestly okay Prompto,” Nyx laughed. “I had a fun time at Gauldin that weekend. And honestly, I should have known when Noctis confronted me.”

“He did?” Prompto asked. Curiosity got to him. “What did he do?”

“Well,” Nyx began. He laughed a bit before continuing. “He approached me and was really upset. Noctis kept asking how I knew you and if I was really your boyfriend. And I told him that we were just talking.” Nyx laughed. “He didn’t believe me. So then I told him that if he was so upset he should calm down a bit. So then that big guy, he suggested that we just run it out and do a push-up contest. So then I kicked his ass at everything. He should really start hitting the gym. Doctors always talk about taking care of yourself and are the last people to do it.”

Prompto just laughed throughout the whole story. Nyx did the same thing but it was nice to hear that Noctis willingly tried to prove _something_ by trying to beat Nyx. It was hilarious and even when Noctis came into the apartment. Nyx continued to talk to Prompto about the other things Noctis did. 

“Who?” Noctis mouthed. Prompto eyed Noctis, who was still in his scrubs, and grinned at him.

Prompto covered up the bottom of his phone. “It’s Nyx!”

The color seemed to drain from Noctis’ face. “What?”

“He’s telling me this great story,” Prompto grinned. “About how upset you were that he and I were ‘talking’ and not ‘dating.’” 

Noctis looked so upset. “Prompto...”

“Hang on,” Prompto raised one finger at Noctis. “He is almost done telling me about how you wanted to do a flexing contest.” He giggled. “But Ignis stopped it because it would be tacky to be shirtless at a Vineyard.”

“PROMPTO!”

“WAIT!” Prompto was now backing away from Noctis while laughing and crying at the same time. “LET ME FINISH TALKING TO HIM!”

“NO PROMPTO!”

“Prompto,” Nyx was still on the phone. “I should probably go since I hear Noctis.”

“Aww man,” Prompto wiped away his tears. “Thank you.” He continued to giggle. “I’m sorry again.”

“No no,” Nyx laughed. “It’s fine. Also this might be random. But after all this happened, this job opened up for me in Tenebrae. It pays a lot better than my current one. So I think it’ll be good for me. You don’t happen to know anyone there?”

Prompto stopped laughing and thought about it.

Prompto tried to be as vague as possible. “No Nyx, I don’t really know anyone. But umm… coincidentally, Noctis’ Ex will be there too.”

“Oh really?” Nyx said. “Well… at least we’d have a lot to talk about.”

“I guess,” Prompto eyed Noctis who looked so unimpressed by the whole thing. “Thanks Nyx.”

“Thanks Prompto,” Nyx finally hung up and Noctis just pouted. He was such a 5 year old sometimes.

“What was that about?” Noctis asked.

“Well,” Prompto sat down on the couch and eyed Noctis carefully. “I apologized to Luna and Nyx today. So I feel less guilty about things.”

“Do you?” Noctis asked. He took a seat next to Prompto.

“Yeah,” Prompto scooted in a bit more and laid his head on Noctis’ shoulder. “A bit…”

“That’s good,” Noctis yawned. “I think it’s weird you talked to Luna.”

“I don’t care,” Prompto said defensively. “I just wanted to say sorry.”

Noctis eyed him and laid his head onto Prompto’s. “So how is your Saturday looking this week?”

Prompto frowned. “Well, I have countless netflix movies I won’t watch.”

“Good,” Noctis hummed. “My Dad wants to have dinner with us at some fancy restaurant on Saturday. Not the fish place, but another much fancier place.”

Prompto groaned but so did Noctis. He supposed that he was ready for this. If he could survive his own father telling him off, surely he could survive anything Noctis’ father had to say.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there are three more chapters after this one. The last chapter will be an epilogue so just so y'all know what the deal is with that. I hope that you have been enjoying this as much as I have writing it. This is honestly the funniest thing I have ever written but if you all have been enjoying it, that's all that matters!
> 
> Also, no one is going to guess the song. So don't even bother! ;)
> 
> Thanks guys! I'm on twitter @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche!


	16. Teenage Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regis finally meets Prompto...

Noctis had to convince Prompto to go to bed because he must have watched at least 50 different makeup youtube tutorials. It took another thirty minutes to convince Prompto that he needed to _go to bed_. Then Noctis woke up at four in the morning to Prompto, with his entire closet out on the floor, with what looked like five different outfits. Prompto looked at Noctis, and pointed at, what Noctis thought, was a very respectable nice suit. 

“It’s horrible isn’t it?” Prompto whined.

“Come back to bed,” Noctis tried to swallow but the room felt heavy with the air conditioner running and Prompto’s outfits littering the floor. “There is nothing to worry about.”

As Noctis turned over, he heard Prompto fidget some more as the clothes hangers banged and clanged again. 

“Prompto,” Noctis said dangerously. “You are going to make an ass out of yourself if you don’t come back to bed and get some sleep.”

There was a pause and Noctis was going to turn back over in five minutes and physically get Prompto back into bed if he had to. This was _ridiculous_. His Dad was mostly harmless and Prompto would not get anything like that conversation Noctis had with Cor. Hell, if anything his Dad was probably going to invite Prompto to go golfing with him. 

Prompto did not believe him and thought that Regis was going to do something to him. Noctis couldn’t get a clear answer but his boyfriend was being ridiculous. The hangers kept clanging together and Noctis really couldn’t take it anymore.

“Prompto…”

“Yeah Noct…”

Noctis turned over and Prompto looked awful. His hair was matted and he looked like he was sweating. 

“Come back to bed,” Noctis said slowly. “It’ll be fine. I already got yelled at.” He paused. “Look… things might not be the best as far as us starting to date but… you didn’t let your Dad spend 5 million dollars on you.”

Prompto nodded and looked at the rest of his wardrobe. “Yeah… I mean… well Noct…”

“Look,” Noctis got up and felt his back starting to hurt a bit. “Just don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine.”

“It’s just that,” Prompto bit his lip and continued to look at two outfits. “I called my Dad last night and he is still not happy.”

“So I have to find a cure for some horrible disease huh,” Noctis shrugged. “I _could_ but I don’t think so. It’ll just be a while Prompto. But my Dad isn’t mad at you.”

“Yeah,” Prompto crossed his arms and looked at both outfits. “I mean… yeah I know you’re right about this but I’m just really nervous. I’m overthinking this.”

“That’s fine,” Noctis yawned. “But you need to sleep. Hell… I need to sleep. Just come back, yeah?”

“The black one or the blue one?” Prompto pointed to the two. Noctis did look and pointed to the black one. 

“Prompto,” Noctis whined. “Come back.”

Prompto slowly put the black slacks and the nice cardigan that he picked out on his dresser and put the other outfit with blue slacks back in his closet. After finally shutting off the lights in the closet, Prompto headed back to bed. Noctis pulled Prompto’s waist towards his own and, yes, Prompto’s back was sweaty but Noctis did not care at all. 

“I have to go run in an hour,” Prompto said timidly. 

“Just stay with me,” Noctis yawned again. Slowly he rubbed Prompto’s sides and kissed the back of his neck. “You really have nothing to worry about.”

“I know,” Prompto said nervously. “I know I’m being stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” Noctis said. “I just know my Dad. He’s going to like you.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“My Dad _will_ like you Prompto.”

There was a pause and Prompto moved a bit closer to Noctis.

“Okay,” Prompto yawned again and Noctis stayed awake to make sure that he heard Prompto’s snoring. It was… kind of cute?

Noctis hated to admit that but soon enough, he was falling asleep too. 

***

Prompto left the blue outfit he had on for an hour. He messed up his makeup (Noctis didn’t know where that mistake was) and put on the black outfit he was originally going to wear. Noctis had no worries about his Dad. The reservations were made at some swanky restaurant that Noctis did not care for. He was going to order his usual because his father _loved_ that restaurant for some reason. When Noctis did see his Dad waiting at their table already Prompto looked freaked out.

“We came ten minutes early and he is already here!” Prompto said in a hushed voice. He immediately walked at a faster pace. Noctis smiled at his Dad, who smiled at both of them. It was obvious that Noctis was in no rush but Prompto was already at the table with his hand outstretched. 

When Noctis managed to catch up, his Dad gave him his customary pat on the back and urged them both to sit down. Prompto fumbled a bit with the seating before openly gawking at the restaurant. It was modern and overpriced. And yet, Noctis did enjoy their steak so he just sat and watched Prompto and his Dad stumble a bit over formalities. 

“How have things been going for you two?” His father asked.

“Good,” Noctis said. “I’m interviewing for some private practices. Like I told you about remember?”

“Oh yes,” his Dad beamed at him. “I hope you find something that’s a good fit for you Noctis.”

They both looked at Prompto and he seemed too dazed to speak.

“Sorry,” Prompto said quickly. He recovered quickly. “Well… I was made a partner at my company.” He was blushing and Noctis had no idea why.

“Did you date any of your past clients?” his Dad beamed at Prompto. “Or was my son the only lucky one?”

Prompto looked at his Dad and did not know what to say. Noctis shook his head at his Dad who shrugged.

“I’m kidding Prompto,” his Dad chuckled. “You seem... nervous?”

Prompto took a deep breath and laughed awkwardly. Noctis gave his Dad a look and shook his head again. 

“Noctis told me,” his Dad began. He looked directly at Prompto, “That your father, chewed him out.” His Dad looked at Noctis and laughed. “And rightfully so…”

“Yes sir,” Prompto nodded. 

“Look Prompto,” his Dad straightened up and called for the waitress. “I’m not here to yell at you. I’m not the type to yell. I think you both were… _not thinking_ when you decided to do whatever it is you did. Despite that, I must admit, my son looks much happier than I have ever seen him.”

“I’m deeply touched Dad,” Noctis said sarcastically. His father grinned Noctis and smiled at Prompto.

“I just want to get to know you,” his Dad said. “Where you are from, why you became a wedding planner… why you picked this loser to date.”

“Hey,” Noctis shook his head. To his Dad’s credit, Prompto actually smiled.

“I mean,” Prompto scratched the back of his head while their waitress approached. They all ordered and Prompto looked eager to say what he wanted to say. But they all waited until they figured out what to order from the ridiculously complex menu. Thankfully, the waitress was helpful and answered all of Prompto’s questions with ease.

“Tell me about yourself Prompto,” his Dad said while sipping some wine. “Don’t worry, I can outdrink Noctis any day. And the night is still young.”

Noctis felt embarrassed but comparing this to how painfully awkward the dinner with Cor was, he would take this madness from his father any day.

“Well,” Prompto carefully drank some red wine while his eyes popped out of his head. “Oh… this is good wine.” He giggled and Noctis just shook his head at the two of them.

“You are a bad influence Dad,” Noctis warned. He was not going to drink and that was probably for the best. Someone had to be… the sane one here. 

Prompto put down his glass and cleared his throat. “I was adopted by my parents. Umm… only child. I guess like Noctis.” He paused and continued. “Well, I really liked planning things as a kid. But I think my Dad probably knew I was not straight when I planned weddings for my dolls and toys. It’s embarrassing but yeah…” 

“I see,” his Dad did not laugh but Noctis was staring at his Dad.

“So umm,” Prompto cleared his throat again. “Then my Dad went to the war and he lost his legs. And that was hard. It wasn’t a good time for us. But high school was a bit better and I started getting more social. And then college was much better for me. Then my Mom passed away and things got bad again but I decided to go work and at least I’d be able to take care of my Dad. I guess that’s with most things huh?” His Dad nodded at Prompto who continued to talk. “I started joining planning committees and I met my best friend Cindy there in college. So I just joined this company after graduation. I did the photography then I applied to be a wedding planner. And it’s the best job. I love doing it.” He paused and looked at Noctis while blushing a bit. “Well, I know Noctis lied about things or he just didn’t tell me things…”

His Dad looked at Noctis and shook his head. Noctis just rolled his eyes. 

“But I’m happy too,” Prompto nodded. His blushing stopped suddenly while he looked sadly at Noctis. “My Dad isn’t happy. It actually really bothers me.”

“Why do you think that is?” his Dad asked. Prompto thought about it carefully.

“Well,” Prompto coughed a bit. “Well umm… I just think I disappointed him. But I can’t prove to him that I’m in love. I can’t just show it to him like you show off a new car or something?” 

Noctis couldn’t help but smile at Prompto. He was nonsensical but it did make sense. 

“But it bothers me a lot,” Prompto nodded. “I just hope he comes around. I don’t have any other family but him.”

Noctis watched as his Dad looked at Prompto with pride. 

“Well,” his Dad nodded. “He seems like a good young man Noctis.”

“We are both 30 years old,” Noctis said dryly. Prompto laughed. 

“I am well aware,” his Dad chuckled. “Let me rephrase: I think he’s a good fit for you Noctis.”

Prompto smiled and looked relieved. 

“I still have no idea why you’d want to date my son,” Regis joked. “First he doesn’t want to major in business. Then he wants to be a doctor. And now he spends 5 million dollars I am never going to get back.”

Prompto’s face looked splotchy and red again. “Well Sir…”

“Please,” Regis still laughed and raised his hand. “Call me Regis.”

Noctis rolled his eyes while drinking his second glass of the finest coke.

“Umm,” Prompto looked startled but straightened up. “Umm… Regis. I… well I can’t explain it. He told me that we should have met sooner and I kind of believe that. Maybe then, you wouldn’t have spent 5 million dollars. I have no idea. But yeah…” Prompto looked at Noctis and Noctis just stared back at Prompto. Noctis felt Prompto’s hand wrap around his underneath the table. It was really comforting for Noctis to feel Prompto’s thumbs rubbing his knuckles. 

“I really love him,” Prompto said firmly. 

Noctis smiled back and just shrugged at his father who looked so pleased.. 

“You should say it back Noctis,” Regis chuckled. He drank more of his wine and clapped once the food arrived. Noctis just shook his head because the wine was getting to him.

Prompto coughed and watched in amazement as their meals began to arrive. 

“This is so nice,” Prompto said in awe. It might have had a double meaning but Prompto looked so relieved that it wasn’t bad. Noctis knew it was not going to be bad at all. Those first two weeks were bad. His Dad was upset and rightfully so. Ignis and Gladio were upset at him as well, but even they were beginning to text him more. They wanted to organize a bar crawl and Noctis thought that might be fun. It was still in the early stages but Noctis thought that might be good. Noctis really wanted Prompto to be friends with his own.

It was a mistake, and Noctis knew it was a mistake to string Luna along for that long. However, he felt better that at least they were making up for lost time. His Dad wanted to know Prompto and they were now both talking about the business side of things at the company. Noctis just smiled because he was lucky. He just needed to make sure that he would do everything possible to make this last. 

His Dad smiled at him across the table and Noctis smiled back, almost bashfully. This _was_ nice.

“Prompto,” his Dad said suddenly. “Maybe ask your Dad to go golfing with me. I think if he talks with me about Dad stuff, he’ll probably feel less like hurting Noctis.”

Prompto laughed and nodded. Noctis was not very impressed.

“Dad,” Noctis warned. “Why would he want to golf? With you? You cheat!”

“I do not,” his Dad waved his hand. “That is not true… don’t listen to Noctis”

“It is though,” Noctis said firmly. “Remember when you left me by the pier when I was 13 to go buy a fish and then you said you _caught_ the fish! And I already caught 3 by then.”

Prompto started to laugh and his Dad looked like he was going to smack him from across the table. Instead, his Dad just laughed along with Prompto. It was not a very funny story, but from the way Prompto and his Dad were laughing, it must have been.

***

Noctis had to hold Prompto’s hand to walk him back to the apartment. His boyfriend was a lightweight and Noctis knew this but Prompto was still stumbling over himself and laughing nonsensically at everything. Prompto even laughed at this woman that was selling hot dogs on the side of the street.

“I want a hot dog,” Prompto beamed. He was sweating but he had a look of absolute bliss on his face. Noctis was about to reply but Prompto put one finger over Noctis’ mouth. “That was not a dirty joke I swear. I really do want a hot dog.”

Noctis just laughed and they both crossed the street to get one. Prompto, who continued to deny that he was drunk, was absolutely out of it. But Noctis was slightly more endured to his ridiculous behavior because he was so nervous the night before. Noctis didn’t even know if Prompto went to sleep last night so he was going to crash hard when they finally got back.

Prompto stumbled a bit but made sure to keep both hands on his hot dog.

“Hey Noct,” Prompto said in a small voice. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Noctis asked. He tried to make sure there were no steps or anything else in front of both of them.

“You said it would be fine and it was fine,” Prompto said slowly. “It’s nice not to worry about that stuff.”

“Yeah,” Noctis hummed. “I know your Dad will come around. I just have to cure cancer… or something.”

“Cure grumpy Dads,” Prompto hummed back. He continued to smile and Noctis was enamored by that smile. “So do you live at my apartment now?” Prompto continued to walk and then stopped when Noctis did.

“I mean,” Noctis scratched the back of his head. “I like yours better.”

Prompto nodded. “I don’t mind but.” He paused and looked at Noctis with a grin. “I kind of get it. Luna lived with you huh?”

“Yeah,” Noctis shook his head. “I think that might be why.”

Prompto took one more bite of his hot dog and looked at Noctis.

“Then move in,” Prompto said quickly. “Hmm… or maybe we should have this conversation when I am not as drunk.”

“That’s probably for the best,” Noctis picked up his pace to catch up with Prompto. “You do realize we have been dating for maybe three weeks right?”

“I’m getting old Noct,” Prompto laughed. “And I like having you there…”

Noctis eyed Prompto curiously. “Your Dad is not going to be happy.”

“I know,” Prompto nodded. “But… I think I’m okay with that.”

Noctis continued to eye Prompto who was walking slowly. Maybe they were moving fast but Noctis also didn’t care either. They should have met earlier but maybe moving this fast was going to make up for lost time they should have had together. It was better late than never now because Prompto was walking without a care back to the apartment. Noctis gave Prompto a quick kiss on the cheek and Prompto managed to free a hand for Noctis to hold onto.

“Once I’m done with this hot dog,” Prompto began to giggle. Noctis knew the line was coming and then, “I can play with your ho—”

“—Prompto shut up!”

“But it’s funny Noctis!”

“It’s not funny Prompto…”

Prompto continued to laugh and Noctis joined him as they rounded the last street back to the familiar glow of lights that framed Prompto’s apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late posting! I just started working full-time again. So expect these updates on the weekends now! I am also busy writing the final part of the Spidey!AU Fic that is slowly ruining my life but I love it.
> 
> We are near the end my friends! Enjoy ^__^


	17. Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to wind down...

“Sorry I’m late.”

Noctis looked exhausted. Prompto looked at him and waved awkwardly while his own father eyed him wearily. 

“Glad you could make it,” his father said slowly. “Rough day?”

They were at the table and Prompto already had the food ready. Noctis sat down quietly and yawned. He put a bottle of wine on the table and tried to stretch out a bit. After giving Prompto a quick kiss on the cheek he looked absolutely dazed at Prompto’s father.

“You okay,” Prompto asked while giving Noctis a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“Yeah,” Noctis yawned. “Rough surgery.”

Prompto knew that cue and just talked to his Dad about the new client he met earlier that day. This was the second dinner and Noctis said that the surgery would be standard. That was not true, at least by the way Noctis kept yawning over his plate of food.

Prompto had to try again and he was not sure what else to do at this point. Apparently, his Dad and Regis went golfing a few times and now… well now his Dad was having dinner with them again. It was round two and Noctis looked like he was going to sleep on the rice. He just finished his 12 hour shift and Noctis was still in his scrubs. Prompto’s father just eyed Noctis and Prompto did the same. They had postponed moving more things in. It was easy to keep busy with that.

At first, Noctis tried to smile and he tried to be pay attention to the senior home antics. Unfortunately, Noctis’ eyes became heavy more than once. Prompto almost wanted to tuck Noctis into bed but his Dad was talking to Prompto about this new nurse that was assisting him. She was nice enough but all Prompto could look at was Noctis and his head that was bobbing over the stew. 

“Dad,” Prompto warned. He poked Noctis’ shoulder and slowly Noctis came back to life. “Maybe we should have dinner another day?”

“W-hat?” Noctis yawned. Prompto asked Noctis everyday if he had heard back from the few places he had applied for. But so far, nothing had happened yet. Noctis just blinked back wearily and showed a soft smile to Prompto. “Sorry…”

“Actually,” his Dad coughed and looked at Noctis apprehensively. “Me and his old man had a chat the other day.”

“Yes,” Noctis yawned. “Did he cheat at golfing?”

Prompto, much to his shock, saw his Dad laugh. For the first time at something Noctis had said.

“Actually,” his Dad chuckled. “He tried to. But I don’t like golfing, so I didn’t care what he did. I just wanted the free drinks.”

Prompto laughed a little bit. “Dad…”

“I’ll leave soon don’t worry,” his father warned. “We got to talking. About how stupid our sons are.”

“Ah,” Noctis drank some water and and tried to blink more to wake himself up. “Yes, we know.”

“Look Noctis,” his father looked cool and much less angry than the last time. “I’m still not happy about this.”

Prompto nodded and Noctis just blinked as a response. 

“But Prompto already moved you in,” his father sighed. “And I don’t pay the rent here.”

“No,” Prompto teased. “Just get to the point Dad.”

“There really isn’t one,” his father laughed. “I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with this.”

“Dad,” Prompto warned. “We are going to go half on everything. At least Noctis can pay his bills. Remember that other guy didn’t some months?”

“Yeah,” Noctis nodded slowly. His head was bobbing again. “The bills…”

Noctis’ head was finally tilting to the side and he laid unceremoniously on Prompto’s shoulder. A loud snore came and Prompto just laughed. Noctis wrapped one arm on Prompto and just sighed. 

“Is that why your apartment is a mess?” his Dad cocked an eyebrow and shook his head.

“Look,” Prompto said loudly then lowered his voice. “Look Dad… he’s trying to get a less stressful job. He is getting tired of the one he has.”

“Clearly,” his Dad drank some water and just looked at Noctis who was asleep and oblivious. “Look Prompto, I know this guy has some work to do. But I think he’s okay for the most part.”

“An okay is better than you hating him,” Prompto started to bite his lip. “Why are you being nice?”

His Dad shrugged his shoulders and folded his arms. “I talked to his old man. Got to know him a bit more and he seems alright. Honestly, I can’t relate to you two.” He pointed to both of them.

“I mean,” Prompto smiled. “I’m kind of gay. A bi kind of gay.”

“Not that Prompto,” his father laughed. “I think I can’t relate because I fell in love when I was young and that was that. And you have had bad luck. Apparently me and Regis have a lot more in common. Both of our wives are gone. I am just telling you, I can’t relate.”

Prompto thought about it. He had those thoughts of how he could tell his Mother that _this_ had happened to him. He would fall in love with a hot bastard doctor at 30 and they were moving in with each other after 4 months. “My lease is ending,” was Noctis’ excuse but Prompto knew better. Hell, Noctis probably moved in with him after their first date and just never left. Not really, either way. Prompto thought about how she would feel about all of this. Maybe she would have been more sympathetic, or maybe she would have told Prompto he was being an idiot. He knew he was, but it was okay. Having Noctis’ weight on his shoulder was nicer than anything he had felt before.

“So, since I can’t relate,” his Dad continued. “I want to try and understand this.”

“It’s okay,” Prompto waved his hand and shrugged. “I mean. I’m glad that you are coming around.”

Prompto shook Noctis a bit but, that was useless. It was interesting to learn more about Noctis as their relationship progressed. Noctis would only eat things that were dead and deep fried. So Prompto had to adjust and used the slow cooker because that was easier for both of their schedules. Prompto tried to sign up Noctis for a gym membership when it was buy one and get one for free. Noctis had only gone with him twice and used the massage chair for the two hours total that they went went. So Prompto just went with Cindy and Gladio instead, which was a better decision. Noctis liked to stay in and sleep which was fine for Prompto. The partying he had done in college and his early 20s seemed like another lifetime ago, so Prompto found it easy to just lay with Noctis in bed. They had every streaming service and Noctis brought his huge TV so that part was nice addition to the living room. Eventually, Noctis even got his old gaming consoles out of storage and they played together when they could. They were in the middle of this giant RPG that was going to take 150 hours to complete but they were going to finish it eventually.

The week before, Prompto came to the hospital for the first time since he was a patient there. It seemed like everyone knew who he was. The nurses were helpful and even said that he was “that wedding planner” and Prompto just nodded but felt silly. Ignis and Gladio were not there because they were in the middle of surgery. But Prompto liked the feel of the hospital and how different their jobs were. It was nice to have something new to talk about each day Noctis came home. Prompto would talk about some crazy bridal request and Noctis talked about his patients and their problems. Usually, Prompto tried to eat lunch with him at least once a week but Noctis was running a bit late. When Prompto pulled out his phone to text Noctis, he saw Noctis comforting a couple in the waiting room. It was a floor down below, but Prompto had a good view from up above. Noctis looked in his element and optimistic, at least that’s what Prompto had thought. Prompto was starting to like the look of the scrubs on his boyfriend and the way Noctis looked so poised but busy. Those days were nice and Prompto liked seeing him happy.

It was telling because Ignis said Noctis usually got everything delivered because he was so busy. He would hire maids and never leave the apartment, according to Gladio. But Prompto had no idea because Noctis made an effort to clean and he enjoyed shopping for groceries with Prompto. Ignis usually went with them on Saturday afternoons and it had become a tradition now. Ignis seemed as though he was buying meals for two but Prompto never asked and Noctis seemed too oblivious to ask. It was also nice preparing meals for two and ordering for two and just in general, being with another person. It was everything that Prompto had ever wanted. To hear his Dad say that he was trying was good enough for now. It was going to take a while but Prompto was happy with this slow development. 

“I should get going,” his Dad looked at Noctis who was now snoring a little bit louder. “Tell Noctis to take a break.”

“He actually has a few days off,” Prompto said shyly. “I was thinking maybe we would take a road trip or stay somewhere for the night.”

“Alright then kid,” his father got up and gingerly made his way towards the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Once Prompto heard the door locked shut, he turned to Noctis. He half expected Noctis to get up and say “Wow, I’m glad he is gone” but Noctis was fast asleep. Prompto poked at Noctis’ cheek but his boyfriend was not budging at all. 

“Hey,” Prompto laughed. “I’m not carrying you.”

Noctis was not moving one bit and Prompto did not know what to do. 

“Noct,” Prompto whined. He tried to reposition his shoulders and poked Noctis again. “ _Noct_...”

“Hmm,” Noctis finally moved but he was not exactly awake.

Prompto finally put one hand and squeezed Noctis’ nose gently. This caused a few things at once: Noctis’ eyes flew open after 10 seconds and he looked at Prompto with the funniest pout he had ever seen. Prompto just laughed and Noctis tried to will himself back to the land of the living.

“I don’t like you,” Noctis sighed. “I just want to sleep.”

“Then come to bed,” Prompto stood up and held his hand to Noctis. “Besides, my Dad left.”

Noctis looked at the empty chair and was startled when he realized this. He rubbed his eyes and yawned again while trying to get back up. He just smiled at Prompto and looked slightly less annoyed. He took Prompto’s hand and very slowly, he walked heavily behind Prompto. 

“Any word from your interviews?” Prompto asked. He looked back and smiled at Noctis, who was still rubbing his eyes. 

“Not yet,” Noctis tried to straighten out his back and rubbed one of his shoulders. “Hopefully I hear something soon.”

Prompto didn’t say anything and Noctis made a b-line towards the bed once Prompto had closed the bedroom door. Noctis made no effort to take off his scrubs or those awful sneakers he wore to work as he plopped onto the bed. Prompto just shook his head at Noctis. He walked slowly towards his boyfriend and sat down next to him while patting his back. 

“I don’t know how asleep you were,” Prompto began. “But my Dad seems like he is more okay with us.”

“Good,” Noctis’ voice was muffled on the comforter sheets. He did move his head to look up at Prompto. Prompto combed away some of that long hair away from Noctis face and didn’t stop until his face was cleared of any loose strands. “Sorry, I had a 10 hour surgery today.”

“Oh really?” Prompto thought that today could be a lazy day. The dresser drawers were far away and all the boxes in the apartment made him feel a bit better about just tugging off his work shirt and tossing it near the direction of the laundry basket. “How was that?”

“Patient is fine,” Noctis said softly. “Couldn’t move for about two hours because it was really complicated.”

“Literally?” Prompto asked. He took off his pants too in the same way and tossed those towards the laundry basket too. Prompto started to take off the scrub bottoms off of Noctis as well as his stupid shoes. It took a while, but Prompto quickly learned that his boyfriend was lazy and usually wore his scrubs home after a long day as opposed to putting them in the lockers at the hospital. Gladio would tell them while they were pumping weights that Noctis was probably the laziest doctor but he was still one of the best ones at the hospital. Ignis relayed the same message but said that Noctis looked happier at work. Apparently Noctis loved to stay in his office and eat lunch there on most work days. Now, he was making an effort to join Gladio and Ignis and socialize. That was nice to hear.

“Maybe tomorrow?” Noctis yawned. Prompto was starting to take off Noctis shirt too, but he stopped at those words.

“What?” Prompto asked. Once he had the whole shirt off, he looked at his boyfriend who looked exhausted. 

“Too tired for that,” Noctis yawned. 

“You can say sex,” Prompto laughed. “I’ll sex you up with my eyes. You are so weird.”

“Tomorrow then?” Noctis asked. He smiled at Prompto and closed his eyes. “Too tired.”

“Hey Noct,” Prompto leaned in a bit closer. Noctis moved his arms so that Prompto could easily take off his boyfriend’s scrubs. “You are so _fucking_ dense.”

Noctis moved his head and laughed into the comforter sheets. He might have said “I know” but Prompto had already tossed his scrubs towards the laundry basket. So he didn’t hear whatever Noctis said. Prompto just moved closer to him and hugged Noctis from behind. 

“Love you,” Noctis said before punctuating that with the loudest snore Prompto had heard from Noctis so far. Prompto poked his cheek again like before and got no response. It was okay though. Prompto pulled a lighter blanket over them and began to fall asleep with ease. He might have said it back but at this point, Noctis’ exhaustion might have been infectious and Prompto was feeling it.

“Love you too,” Prompto yawned before finally falling asleep.

***

They had done their Sunday day in. Sundays were the days that they both consistently had off. Prompto had managed to buy some fancy new bath bomb on the recommendation of Cindy and now Noctis was fully awake and making his face. Their legs were tangled together and they were facing each other on either side of the tub. 

“Jeez Noct,” Prompto laughed. “At least say it sucks. Cindy also said woodfire meadow was a good scent too.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe that someone is making money off of this.”

Prompto just laughed. Noctis looked more relaxed than the night before but it was good thing. Noctis just rubbed his shoulders and stared at Prompto.

“Sorry I was late,” Noctis said after a while. “I did have surgery, by the way.”

“You were out partying,” Prompto teased. “Meanwhile I was cooking that awesome hamburger helper stew recipe with extra seasonings.”

Noctis just laughed. “I hope I hear something back soon. I almost lost that guy yesterday... _twice_. It’s just… yeah surgery is rough.”

“Well,” Prompto began thoughtfully. “We can always go into business together. I have no idea what we could do, but we could do something like that.”

“Doing what?” Noctis eyed Prompto wearily. 

“We could come up with an app,” Prompto laughed. “On how to not to fall asleep while your grumpy Dad-In-Law has dinner with you.”

“Shut up,” Noctis moved to grab one of Prompto’s calves. He grabbed the other one and parted Prompto’s legs just a bit. “Maybe the secret is not talking.”

“Maybe,” Prompto eyed Noctis hands under the water. The hands crawled further up and massaged his thighs. “Maybe…”

Prompto moved further up and parted his thighs even further. Noctis’ face was already close enough to kiss but Prompto pulled back. 

“The last time we did this,” Prompto put his hand over Noctis’ mouth. “We almost died.”

“Mmph… No we didn’t,” Noctis mumbled through his hand while he pulled back his face. “You slipped so _you_ almost died. And then you _almost_ killed me.”

“Did not,” Prompto laughed. Noctis grabbed the back of his head either way and kissed him. Prompto tasted the bit of ocean sea breeze or whatever that scent was. It didn’t matter, Noctis moved his hands further down Prompto’s back and the splash of water bounced through the basin. Prompto moved up to straddle on top of Noctis’ legs. With both arms on Noctis’ back, Prompto tried to deepen the kiss. The warmth of Noctis’ mouth and the water that was around them made the noises even more pronounced. Prompto just hummed while Noctis pressed his tongue against Prompto’s. He opened his eyes and noticed Noctis’ dick rising above the water.

Prompto reached down and pulled on Noctis’ dick and that got one moan out of him. Noctis tried to reach down but Prompto swatted his hand away and stopped kissing him. Their foreheads touched and Prompto just looked into Noctis’ eyes as they rolled back.

“Hey,” Prompto hummed. “Question…”

“Hmm,” Noctis started to lay kisses down Prompto’s chest. It was hard to focus but Prompto had to finish.

“So,” Prompto took a deep breath and whined a bit when Noctis bit his nipple. “S-so… hmm…”

Noctis moved his hand and this time Prompto didn’t stop him. That hand around his own dick made Prompto shiver. He felt it deep in his spine and moved up while the water felt colder than before.

“An...anniversary,” Prompto sighed. “Is… hmm… it’s Wednesday.” Prompto said it quickly. He moved his hand and rolled his hips so that now they were both moaning at the same time.

“Hmm,” Noctis said back. Prompto thought it was no good. They could talk about this later. He wanted to go to the park. Just like that first night they went on their date. Or non-date. Prompto didn’t think it mattered now.

All Prompto could do was close his eyes and let out more gasps as Noctis’ hand moved faster between them. The grip was slippery and the last time they tried, it was standing up and with the shower on, it was funny and the noises were worse but this wasn’t bad. How could it be bad when Noctis was leaving another new bruise on Prompto’s chest?

“Noct,” Prompto leaned down and kissed Noctis again. Well, he missed it but with Noctis’ other hand, their lips find each other again. Prompto made an attempt to wrap his legs tighter but his knees could only squeeze so hard. The only sounds coming out were of the water hitting the floor and the loud moans and heavy breaths in the bathroom. Prompto tried to say Noctis’ name but is probably sounded garbled.

Instead, he looked right at Noctis and pressed their foreheads together. Noctis just smiled and moved his hand even faster. The only thing Prompto could do was the long strokes that Noctis loved with his hand. In one final move, Prompto ran his other free hand through Noctis’ long hair again and pulled on it while he felt his thighs shaking. Noctis was holding in his breaths and grabbed onto Prompto’s back. It was hard and Prompto felt the marks being left by those fingernails.

Noctis came first and Prompto watched him as he panted heavily on Prompto’s neck. It didn’t take that much longer for Prompto to come. He rolled his hips a bit more and the last thing he saw was Noctis looking up at him while Prompto closed his eyes and moaned loudly into the air.

It was a while before either of them said anything. But Noctis was the first thing Prompto saw when he opened his eyes.

“Wednesday,” Prompto finally said. “They’re showing movies in the park. We should go.”

Noctis just looked up and grinned. “When we get back on Wednesday. Let’s go.”

“Okay good,” Prompto giggled. “Hey… maybe we can try the shower in a few.”

“Sure,” Noctis sighed. “Just don’t kill me.”

“Again,” Prompto whined. He even splashed some water in Noctis’ direction. “You almost killed me.”

Noctis pushed off Prompto a bit before splashing the water in Prompto’s direction. 

“Let’s agree to disagree,” Noctis laughed. Prompto just laughed in return and tried to fight back but he couldn’t. There was water on the bathroom tiles and their laughter echoed as they both tried to figure out who was at fault that last time. It didn’t matter though, because this was as good as it was going to get between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay a callback to their first date! I wanted to put that in since it was something I wanted. I planned something totally different but the boys needed to have more bathtub sex so here ya go!
> 
> Thank you so much guys! I hope to end this thing on a high note soon, I have just been so busy with work but hopefully I can find the time to do it before the end of the week.
> 
> Thanks! As usual, I am at @Noctisserie on twitter and @malinche on tumblr!


	18. We Found Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end...

Thank the Six it was Sunday because well… Prompto did say that they should not have sex in the bathroom. But the second time cemented that for the two of them. Noctis turned around too fast to put some shampoo away and they both fell on each other. Prompto got the bulk of the bruising by falling right on his ass and Noctis fell right on top of him. So that was a disaster. 

“Never again,” Prompto shook his head. Noctis just nodded but well…

At the moment, they were in bed again and since Prompto had preached honesty in the relationship from day one… they weren’t going to do anything else on Sunday besides each other.

Prompto had Noctis pressed into the bed and was slowly make his way down that back that he loved. The moles in between his shoulder blades and the lean muscles were each given a kiss by Prompto. Noctis’ back was amazing. Just as Noctis had never mentioned anything about his awful stretch marks and Prompto didn’t say anything about Noctis’ back scars. Noctis told him during one of their dinners that it was a bad accident he was in as a child. But Prompto did not push him further. There was no point in pushing Noctis. He elaborated further and Prompto listened to him. A doctor worked hard to make sure that he was okay after the accident. That was probably why Noctis decided to go into medicine and Prompto thought that was cool. They were learning more about each other and Prompto got comfortable enough to show Noctis his old elementary school pictures. Noctis just called him “cute” and didn’t say much else. It was nice and Prompto opened up too. It was little by little...

Right now though, Noctis had caused Prompto to fall. Noctis had the bright idea that this would be a good way to make up for the nasty bruise that was going to appear later. There was no point in disagreeing. Prompto started to bite down the lower that he explored. Noctis lifted his ass up a bit and Prompto started to spread Noctis apart. Noctis was freshly showered so this would be the best time to do this. Prompto was already hard and could see that Noctis had precum spreading over the sheets as he heaved and panted. Prompto gave Noctis’ dick a slow tug before licking between Noctis’ ass.

Noctis cried out and Prompto loved the sound when he began to lick around that first tight ring. They hadn’t done this in a while. The last time was maybe two weeks ago and Prompto was on the receiving end. It was another Sunday thing. It was probably their Sunday thing.

Prompto kneaded Noctis’ ass while he tried to stick his tongue in deeper. Hearing Noctis’ moans and seeing his back rise and fall with each suck and lick only made Prompto’s dick twitch. They still had a long way to go. 

“Prompto…”

Prompto just hummed and watched Noctis’ back shiver. All Noctis had was his pillow that he squeezed and panted into. All Prompto could think about now, was how good Noctis would feel around him. Maybe before they go to bed later, they could switch. That’s all Prompto wanted to do today. He just wanted Noctis.

“P-please Prompto…”

Noctis continued to heave. Prompto stopped crawled up towards the drawer quickly and grabbed the lube and condoms while Noctis just watched him with hooded eyes. Prompto tried not to get flustered but how couldn’t be get that way with the way this hot bastard was looking at him.

“I love you,” Noctis sighed. That was what did it because Prompto sighed and felt the room getting hotter again. That was the one thing Prompto had discovered over these whirlwind four months: Noctis was just soft when he wanted to be. It was only around him. Noctis had his guard up with everyone else, except for him.

“You probably say that to everyone,” Prompto teased. “Hey let me wash my mouth really fast.” Noctis just grinned and watched Prompto jog quickly to the restroom. Prompto was trying to gargle quickly because he still had nightmares about a past boyfriend that kissed him in college post-salad tossing and… well… that was gross.

“Prompto,” Noctis whined. “Hurry up…”

“Coming,” Prompto jogged back and Noctis had a moved to be on his back and Prompto couldn’t help but stare at Noctis’ dick that was now lying heavily on his belly. “Seriously?”

“Just come here already,” Noctis writhed a little bit in the sheets while laughing louder the closer Prompto got. With a swift move, Prompto grabbed the lube and layered his fingers with it. Noctis parted his legs and the first time they did this, Noctis took a while. Prompto tried his best to get Noctis to relax but this time is was easier. Prompto’s fingers slipped in easily and Noctis just grinned up at Prompto. Noctis’ breathing became heavier and more erratic the more Prompto pressed into him. 

“Hmm…” Noctis eyes were hooded and he just stared right through Prompto. It didn’t take as long like it did that first time. It was easier. Prompto even felt one of Noctis’ legs trying to pull him in closer. After the condom was rolled on and Prompto positioned himself just right, he pressed the tip in between and took it all in. Noctis was really something else and Prompto had no idea how to deal with the way Noctis looked at him.

“Noct,” Prompto shuttered. All that could be heard was a happy sigh from Noctis down below. Prompto could feel a leg pull him in closer. But they were already so close…

It was tight and the feeling of dragging himself in and out was all Prompto could focus on. Noctis used his arms to pull Prompto down. The feeling of those hands on Prompto’s back made him pick up his pace. Noctis just moaned as Prompto moved his hips with shallow thrusts.

Prompto already knew he was not going to last. He already knew Noctis wasn’t going to either by the sounds he was making. At the rhythm they were going, Prompto started to slow down just so the feeling could last longer. So he moved down to kiss Noctis’ neck and tried to say something. But Prompto couldn’t do anything but whine and make an attempt to say Noctis’ name. 

There wasn’t any point to that. They were both getting lost in how wonderful Sundays were for them. 

Prompto quickened his pace and felt Noctis tense his body underneath him. Noctis groaned loudly and Prompto felt his stomach getting covered with come. It took maybe two more thrusts until Prompto forgot how to breathe.

They stayed motionless for a while. Noctis rubbed Prompto’s back and Prompto made an attempt to move. It was useless though, because Noctis’s arms were firm and Prompto almost wanted to ask why. Instead, Prompto pulled out slowly with a groan and did his best throw to the condom in the trash can.

“You missed,” Noctis chuckled. 

“Whatever,” Prompto looked at Noctis who still had both arms firmly on his back. “What’s wrong?”

Noctis’ face changed a bit. It wasn’t a look Prompto recognized. He chalked it up to the job hunt or maybe something else had happened. Noctis chose instead, to bury his face into Prompto’s chest and took a few deep breaths.

Oh no…

“Hey,” Prompto kissed Noctis’ forehead and rubbed both of his boyfriend’s arms a bit. “Tell me…”

Maybe it was a minute, but Prompto clearly heard the next phrase and maybe time did stop for that minute. It probably stopped a minute later because Prompto had no idea what to do next.

“Marry me Prompto.”

_Huh?_

That was _not_ what he said. Couldn’t be. Could it?

“What?” Prompto said in a panicked voice. “Umm…”

Noctis finally moved his head and cupped Prompto’s face. “Prompto… marry me.”

Prompto just stared at him. Noctis just smiled hopefully but he looked sad.

“Listen to me,” Noctis shifted a bit but still looked up at Prompto hopefully. “I know this is… kinda fast.”

“Noct,” Prompto interrupted but he stopped talking when Noctis glared at him. “Okay…”

“I know it’s you,” Noctis said simply. It was really that simple, wasn’t it? “I miss you when I’m at work. I just want you with me all the time.” He paused and Prompto brushed aside a tear that fell down the side of Noctis’ face. “I can’t promise you this is going to be perfect. But I just want to start whatever is next with you.”

Prompto nodded. It was that simple. 

“Yes,” Prompto grinned. He felt his eyes becoming hot and Prompto felt like crying. “Yeah… let’s do this then.”

Noctis blinked. “Really?” 

Prompto wiped away his tears fast. “Is this because you’re making up for the bruise on my ass?”

Noctis just laughed and so did Prompto. 

“Prompto!”

“Noctis!” Prompto grabbed Noctis’s face and the sheer reality of what he just agreed to. “We are getting married!”

“I know!” Noctis laughed. 

“Holy shit,” Prompto put a hand over his forehead. “My Dad is going to be _so_ pissed.”

Noctis laughed in disbelief. “I can’t believe you said yes.”

Prompto just sunk in and kissed Noctis’ forehead. It was time and Prompto quickly lept off his bed and hurried towards his closet. He had three binders and they were each 5 inches thick. It had been a nearly 20 year work in process. The last time he had looked at it was four months ago for ideas on his not-wedding with Nyx. This time, Noctis just looked at him oddly as he walked back to the bed, naked with three huge folders.

“What the hell?” Noctis sat up gingerly and looked at the folders in disbelief. 

“So,” Prompto presented the first folder to Noctis who just looked at it curiously. “I have folders for my wedding.”

“Uh huh,” Noctis began to turn the pages on the first folder. They were organized by themes, flowers, music, outfits for the bridal parties, aesthetic boards depending on the location and other things Prompto found over the years. 

“You have the level one book,” Prompto giggled. “That one has a budget of 10 grand to 15 grand.

“Huh,” Noctis stopped on the page with music. He read through it before Prompto put the second folder on top of it. 

“This one,” Prompto pointed. “This one is 15 grand to 25 grand.”

“Right,” Noctis glared a bit at the folder and Prompto took both folders away before showing Noctis his pride and joy. His dream folder of all the things Prompto wanted for his wedding. He was never sure if he would get any of the things he wanted in it, but he could dream.

“This is the nuclear folder,” Prompto said brightly. “I’ve been working on this since I was umm… 7?”

Noctis just smiled and went through all the pages and nodded. “This looks… really good Prompto.”

“If you don’t want something,” Prompto began. “I can pull back.”

“I like anything you do,” Noctis said quickly. “I mean... do you want to get married now?”

“No,” Prompto shook his head. “I wanna wait and make it look good.”

“Alright,” Noctis looked suddenly shy. “Honestly… I can’t believe you said yes.”

“Noct,” Prompto shut the folder and looked at him. “I think what you said is right. I mean, I just… I think I knew after you took care of me that first time.”

“Me too,” Noctis smiled. “Do you want me to do this on one knee or something? I mean we kinda skipped that part…” Noctis rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. 

“If you want,” Prompto said honestly. Everything they had done so far hadn’t been done ‘the right way’ so Prompto did not care if Noctis wanted to go the extra mile. This was just going to be their way of doing things. “You don’t have to. Unless you want me to do it for you?”

“I think I’m good,” Noctis moved closer towards Prompto. “Okay?”

Prompto just smiled back. “Okay.”

***

Prompto and Noctis went on their road trip and they made sure to bring some souvenirs back for their friends. They did not tell anyone that they were fiances now. Prompto went to work on Wednesday content and with Cindy asking him about movies on Wednesday. Prompto said he was already going with Noctis but looked at her oddly. 

Aranea also came in an hour later to confirm that Prompto was going to the movies as well. 

That was weird. 

When his father called him during his lunch, he also asked about the movies in the park. He asked what time they would end and confirmed the park twice on the phone.

 _Weird_.

***

The first feature was the classic “Singing in the Rain” and it was good. Noctis and Prompto were curled up on a blanket near where they had their first date. It was stupid but Prompto loved it and suspected that Noctis did too.

“Guess what?” Noctis said when the first movie ended. 

“What?” Prompto turned to him. 

“I think I am going to get that job at the smaller practice,” Noctis grinned.

“Really?” Prompto exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me.”

“I didn’t check my phone until right now,” Noctis laughed. “They liked me and they just want to negotiate salary.”

Prompto couldn’t believe it. “That’s great!”

“A 9-5 job,” Noctis sighed. “I might actually get to sleep some more.”

“Well yeah,” Prompto laughed. “And less stress.”

“Yeah,” Noctis murmured. They pulled closer to one another and another movie started. It was one that Prompto had never seen before. It was kinda funny but Noctis kissed Prompto during the boring parts. Prompto kissed him back when there were lulls. It was nice and quiet and of course, Prompto did not notice a thing.

He only started to notice something was up when he noticed Gladio, Ignis and Aranea in the distance. They all waved and then Prompto noticed Cindy with his work camera taking pictures. And then he saw their Dads. Prompto’s Dad still looked mildly unimpressed with Noctis. Regis looked _so excited_.

“What’s going on?” Prompto asked suddenly. He sat up and waved to his family and friends. 

“Well umm,” Noctis scratched the back of his head. “I thought about it and I should have proposed to you better. Plus I read in your binder that you wanted it with friends and family around.”

Prompto felt his cheeks getting hot and it started to became a weird and surreal blur. The second movie was pretty much over and the end credits were playing. The lights flickered off and some of the other people were picking up their things but stopping to watch them. A small spotlight was on them. It was then, that it dawned on Prompto that he was hearing _the_ song that he knew would be the perfect first dance song. 

“Noct,” Prompto gasped. Noctis knelt down and went through his pants before pulling out a nice box. “Noct… you really should have just…”

“It’s okay,” Noctis grinned up at him. “This is going to be kinda bad… I didn’t know what to do so I asked Cindy while we were on the road trip. She said this would be up your alley.”

“I already said yes,” Prompto felt stupid for crying again but he had no idea what to do. His Dad looked proud and smiled at him. Prompto turned around at everyone that was looking at him. “I already said yes!”

“Let the bastard do it again!” Aranea half-yelled. They all laughed and Prompto couldn’t help but laugh too.

“Hey listen,” Noctis said held onto Prompto’s hand and smiled at him. Prompto knealt too because his legs stopped working. “Listen.” Prompto went in a closer. “Whatever you want Prompto… you deserve it. Alright?”

Prompto moved his free hand to wipe away his tears because this was too much. Noctis put the ring on his finger and just held onto it for a while. When he heard people cheering in the background, Prompto turned around again.

“I said yes again!” Prompto yelled. Cindy laughed and took a few more pictures of them. Their friends began to move closer and Noctis pulled Prompto in for a kiss. This one felt like the ones in the morning when Prompto would leave to work. It felt like the ones Noctis would give Prompto when their weekday lunches were over. It was like a good habit. They were going to do this over and over again and Prompto had no issue with it at all. 

“I love you,” Prompto said it quietly into Noctis’ forehead and Prompto heard Noctis say it back to him. 

“Love you too Prompto…”

This was them, and the cheers of their friends cemented that. Prompto’s mind raced with how great his wedding was going to be. Having Noctis there by his side would be everything. Having someone love him that much was the only thing Prompto needed.

The song began to end and it was fitting…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This is the song :)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbif6K8CXMQ)
> 
> BONUS! Post-chapter end scene:
> 
> "Wait wait," Prompto looked at both Aranea and Ignis suspiciously. "So you two are..." Prompto could not believe he never noticed. 
> 
> "You two idiots," Ignis pushed his glasses up. "Were so busy being ridiculous with one another, you didn't notice."
> 
> "Yeah Prompto," Aranea winced. "I even told you I was dating a guy with glasses. I can't believe you two didn't know."
> 
> "Oh," Noctis walked hand in hand with Prompto but eyed both of them. "I guess that's good?"
> 
> "It means you are both oblivious," Aranea grinned. "Now you are engaged and oblivious together. The world is doomed."
> 
> Prompto laughed and Noctis did too.
> 
>  
> 
> ****
> 
>  
> 
> The song is GORGEOUS and I highly suggest you all give it a listen. I love both the OG version with Roberta Flack and the Johnny Cash one. Thank you so much for putting up with this highly ridiculous journey with me. I am so happy that people have enjoyed it. I have enjoyed writing this because Romcoms are everything to me and I hope their is a renaissance of the genre in movies soon!
> 
> Shoutout to @moonside who I threw every idea off of and basically inspired me to write this lmfao <3
> 
> Thank you again! I appreciate the support and onto new projects and to better things ahead!
> 
> Come yell at me on twitter @noctisserie and less so on tumblr @malinche.


End file.
